Don't Stop Believing
by solitaireclay07
Summary: She was quiet and hesitant. He was curious and talkative. Eleanor and Liam's friendship began with an awkward encounter and, even though they were different, it grew throughout the years. Adorable, serious, awkward and funny snippets from their lives.
1. First Meeting

She tried to ignore the loud huff coming from across the room, but she couldn't help but glance up for a second to see what was happening.

It was a boy; she vaguely recognized him from her classes. He was quiet and never said a word to most people, but he always had answers for the professors. But he wasn't like a regular Ravenclaw; he didn't study all the time and he was very curious.

Eleanor looked back down at her book and turned the page. She had to finish the first novel in the series this weekend so she could start on the second book by Monday.

And then she almost dropped the book when she felt the presence of someone right in front of her. A person wanted to confront her, talk to her – what was she supposed to do? She didn't know what to say. Did she have to introduce herself and make conversation? What was she going to talk about?

With her heart racing, she looked up and locked eyes with that boy from across the room.

He was shifting his weight on each foot, back and forth, as if he didn't know what to say. "Hi, I'm Liam," he finally proclaimed, his words jumbled.

Eleanor blinked, still looking up at him. He wasn't wearing his uniform but that was common for students on the weekends. Eleanor wore her skirt and tie everyday, even on Saturdays and Sundays, because she didn't have time to goof off. The boy was wearing a jacket; perhaps he was cold? Or maybe going somewhere. But he was too young to go to Hogsmeade – did he try to sneak in?

The hopeful expression on his face suddenly faltered. "Uh, I thought I would ask what you're reading..."

Eleanor looked back down at her book and lifted up the cover so he could read it. Liam glanced at the title and said, "Oh, I've heard of that book. It's the first in the series, right?"

She found herself talking before she realized it. "I'm Eleanor." Maybe it was because he looked so hopeful. Maybe it was because he knew what she was reading, but the fact was she had finally said something. She had talked to this random boy and there was no taking it back.

He immediately took the seat across from her. As if he had been waiting to tell someone, he exclaimed, "You'll never guess what happened-"

"You were caught trying to go to Hogsmeade?" Eleanor said without hesitation.

His eyes widened dramatically and he said in a hushed whisper, "Are you a seer?"

She couldn't help it – the corners of her mouth twitched upward. "No, I-" She hadn't planned on saying more than a couple words to him, but then she was rambling. "You're wearing a jacket which means you're either cold or went outside. Since it is quite warm in here, I assume you were outside and since it's Hogsmeade weekend and you're a curious person, you probably tried to sneak in. But since you're back here, someone must have caught you."

Liam blinked a couple times and finally said, "Wow."

Eleanor nodded slowly, still expecting him to run away at her reasonings. When he didn't say anything, Eleanor sighed and turned to the next page in the book. There were only 354 pages to go.

"Hey."

This time, she did drop her book. Startled, it fell right out of her hands, sliding off of her lap and onto the floor.

Liam didn't waste any time to lean down and pick it up. "I'm so sorry!" His own voice was wavering and Eleanor could tell that he thought he did something awfully wrong.

She took the book back from him, never taking his eyes off of the boy. "It's okay. Thanks," she said softly.

He let out a sigh of relief. Eleanor paused, watching him. He was bad at this too; maybe he didn't have any friends either.

"Um..." he stalled, analyzing her for any unpleasant reaction. "Do you want to play a game?"

Eleanor immediately shook her head without a second thought. "I don't play games."

Liam's eyes widened again. "What?"

"I don't-" Eleanor began to repeat, but Liam was scrambling out of his chair.

"Stay there!" he exclaimed as if she was going to leave. She watched him run off through the door into the dormitories.

Within seconds, he was back, sprinting over with a grin on his face.

"I haven't had a chance to use these. I got them from Diagon Alley when I was shopping for my books. A brand-new pack! I'm usually stuck with my brothers' old things but they're not wizards so this is just mine."

Eleanor watched as he brandished a deck of Exploding Snap cards. She involuntarily moved back.

"Oh, they won't explode. I don't think so, at least," Liam told her. He looked down at the cards. "I don't actually know how to play, but I promise, it'll be fun."

He took the cards out of the package and handed some of them to Eleanor. She couldn't find a reason to say no; he looked so eager. Even though she had to finish her book, Eleanor found herself shuffling her cards.

His bright smile made Eleanor feel as though she could do this. If only to keep him this happy. Maybe she could be that happy too.

-x-

"Hmm..."

He mused, leaning on his hand to look at the structure they'd built. Both Eleanor and Liam had no clue how to play the game and they decided on making a structure out of the cards instead.

Eleanor watched him intently, biting her lip with the anticipation of his next move.

"How about right..." His hand hovered over the corner of the structure and Eleanor winced, having that feeling that it wouldn't end up -

_BOOM._

Eleanor ducked, missing most of the soot and the ashes as the cards erupted. With a hammering heart, she waited a few seconds before peering over the table. Liam was frantically trying to pick up the pieces, fully covered in bits of blackened cards.

He caught sight of her and his eyes widened (in fear this time).

"I'm sorry!" he proclaimed again, practically climbing over the table to get to Eleanor.

He immediately began picking out the pieces of card from Eleanor's curls hastily while continuing to mutter his apologies.

"You're right – this was a bad idea – what was I thinking? - you probably hate me now – I swear, I'm so sorry..."

Eleanor couldn't help it. His crazy ramblings caused her to break out into a smile and laugh softly.

Liam immediately stopped what he was doing. "What?"

"You're crazy," she immediately exclaimed.

He paused, that frightened look still in his eyes. Eleanor knew he was analyzing her smile and her reaction, trying to make sense of it. "Is that a good thing?" he asked slowly.

She paused. "Very."

He stared for a second and then chuckled incredulously, going back to cleaning up the mess with a smile on his face.

* * *

So, I was recently reading the reviews of chapter 61 of Nobody Sees Me Wishing where Eleanor and Liam became friends and decided to write this. This story will be told in snippets that follow their life. They'll be in 3rd person limited, switching back and forth between the limited view of Eleanor and Liam. And I'm not saying whether or not they'll be getting together - this is just a story about the two of them. I've been writing it for awhile now and finally decided to post.

This is almost a way for me to procrastinate the next chapter of Suddenly I See. That story is becoming more of a chore for me and I love this one.

You're all invited to speculate and wonder about Liam and Eleanor's lives. And...go!


	2. Quidditch Game

He had missed the first Quidditch match simply because he didn't want to go alone. He had counted down the days and when he realized he would be standing by himself, he changed his mind and worked on an essay into the late night.

Thinking back on that disappointing night, he could remember Eleanor doing the same thing – working on that essay, hiding behind a mountain of books. He had been too preoccupied to even try talking to her that time.

After that game of Exploding Snap, he had found a friend in Eleanor – his _only _friend. His roommates were still distant and nobody else even tried talking to him. Even though Eleanor was quiet and hesitant, it didn't matter to Liam. Their personalities may have been opposites, but they never argued – just had many awkward silences. And he could deal with that. He liked Eleanor – she was interesting and easy to talk to (despite the silences, of course, but she didn't seem to mind when he rambled at her).

Shifting his weight between his feet, Liam waited for her to show up.

They were going to watch Ravenclaw play against Hufflepuff. His _first _Quidditch game! A game played on _flying broomsticks_. It was going to be so much better than plain, old football.

Liam pulled his hat over his ears and then moved to his mittens, making sure he was covered from the imminent cold.

It was nearing the end of November and the temperature was already below freezing. That had been Eleanor's first complaint about going to the game as well as the social aspect and noise.

He had to promise her that it was going to be lots of fun. Her skeptical look in return made Liam take it as a challenge. It _was _going to be the most fun she'd ever had.

Finally, he saw her come through the doors, her steps hesitant. She was wearing a coat that was too big for her (but looked really warm) and Liam realized that she was actually wearing _normal _clothes. She wasn't wearing her uniform (probably because of the cold) and instead, wore a thick sweater and long trousers. She was wearing a gray hat and mittens – and _no _Ravenclaw colors!   "Where's your house spirit?" Liam asked as soon as she stopped in front of him.

She just shrugged, pulling on her sleeve. "I don't have anything-"

The words were barely out of her mouth before Liam was struggling to remove his own scarf. "Here." He handed it to her and she looked at it blankly for a few seconds.

Slowly, she took it, and said softly, "Um, thanks."

"C'mon!" He impatiently tugged on her hand. "We're going to miss the beginning."

They couldn't miss the beginning. It was when all of the players flew out and everyone cheered as they went crazy. Liam had envisioned it: it was going to be amazing.

He watched as Eleanor quickly placed the scarf around her neck and they made their way into the corridors and down the staircases.

He had to keep looking back, just to make sure she wasn't trying to struggle her way out of his grip. But she was following without a word, occasionally meeting his eyes with a forced smile.

"So, I bought Quidditch Through the Ages in Diagon Alley my first time there and I've read through it five times already," Liam began saying as they walked with the crowd out onto the grounds. "I've got all of the rules and positions memorized, I think. My brothers thought that a sport played on brooms sounded stupid, but I just think they're jealous because they don't get to see it-"

He glanced back to see Eleanor looking down at the ground instead of at him. He was already boring her; this wasn't going to work.

"I'm sorry – I'm just-" he tried to make up a quick excuse.

Eleanor looked at him and said hastily, "No, sorry, I – I like to watch the ground when I walk."

Liam gave her a strange look. "But then you miss out on everything."

She paused and Liam thought he had something wrong again. "Maybe I'm used to it."

He smiled. "Well, then we'll have to change that. Starting with this awesome game – I promise, it'll be so amazing and we've got that new seeker who is really fast-"

And he realized that she was making an effort not to look away from him this time.

-x-

"How about here?"

They choose a spot in the middle of the stands, as close as they could.

Eleanor didn't answer Liam and he immediately looked from her perspective to see what was wrong.

"Is he in your way?"   Liam knew the boy standing in front of Eleanor. He was one of his roommates and even though their beds were only two beds apart, they never spoke to each other. Liam wasn't even sure what his name was.

When Eleanor remained silent, Liam immediately understood. They exchanged a quick look instead and then Liam let out a long, quiet breath.

"Um..." He decided to tap his roommate on the shoulder.

The boy barely turned around. "What?"

  "Uh..." Liam couldn't remember his name for the life of him. "Could you please move to the side? Eleanor can't see."

His roommate frowned deeply and then moved over with a roll of eyes. Ignoring the way he was being rude about it, Liam exclaimed, "Thank you-" The name suddenly came to him. "Joseph."

No response.

"Thank you." He got a response from Eleanor though.

Liam smiled. "You're welcome." A loud cheer drowned out his words. "It's starting!"

He had expected to see Eleanor smile at least once or maybe just clap during the game. But every time he looked over, she was motionless, watching the game intensely.

Did she hate the game? Liam came up with the worst scenarios, hoping that she wasn't regretting this decision. Maybe she hated him. He had dragged her out in the cold to watch a game because he wanted to see it. She never said if she liked it or not.

The team was good and, just like Liam predicted, the new seeker was fast and grabbed the snitch before the Hufflepuff seeker.

"Whoo!" Liam shouted with the rest of the Ravenclaw team. Quickly sneaking a glance at Eleanor, he found her with the corners of her mouth turned upward.

She _was _happy.

"Yell!" he told her, catching her off guard. She looked at him for the longest moment, and then turned away, leaning over to see more. "Just a 'whoo'!" Liam tried again.

He tried to demonstrate, flailing and yelling in his excitement. Eleanor watched him with a weird expression and then said, "yay" in a boring monotone.

"No, like _YAY_!" Liam threw his hands in the air, almost hitting the person behind him.

"_Yay?_" There was a note of uncertainty in her voice now and Liam grabbed her hand, forcing it into the air.

"Whooooo!" he shouted again, looking back onto the field. After a few seconds, he stole another glance at the girl beside him and was overjoyed to find her on her feet, cheering almost as loudly as him. Liam couldn't even stop the massive grin from appearing on his face.

And when they were leaving the stadium, she was back to her normal, quiet self. "That was a lot of fun," she told him.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

I'm so happy that you guys like this story. I wasn't sure if anyone would actually read this story. I promise it will be cute. And there's some plot twists. And more adorableness. You'll like it.

Thanks to Nathpollen for editing and...being awesome, of course. As always.

And thanks for the reviews. I'm going to try to reply to the reviews from now on. Yay!


	3. Gift Exchange

She watched as Ivy slowly opened the small present, knowing that the hesitation was all because of their mother's reaction.

Ivy stalled, fingering something in the box. Eleanor lifted up slightly to peer at the gift and caught sight of a shiny piece of jewelery.

She didn't need telling to know who it was from. Sirius had been the previous present, so this one was from Remus.

Eleanor knew everything about the conflict between Ivy, Remus, and Sirius. It had been so easy to figure it out from Ivy's novel. The similarities between Sirius and Sebastian were striking and Anne definitely had Ivy's traits. If Ivy fancied Sirius, then Remus was left with his unrequited love.

What an interesting love triangle.

As soon as her mother caught sight of the shiny, silver charm bracelet, Eleanor knew to distract herself from the squealing. Leaning forward, she caught sight of her name on one of the boxes in the back. It was a small, clumsily wrapped box that was definitely not from her parents. Curious, she hastily undid the ribbon and took off the cover.

It was a piece of a yarn. A colorful, long piece of yarn with a criss-cross design.

Eleanor stared at it for a long while, trying to make sense of the strange gift. Her gaze fell onto the piece of paper underneath the odd present and she took it out of the box without removing the yarn.

_Eleanor,_

_I hope you don't hate your present. I asked my mum what you would like for Christmas. She said a bracelet is a nice gift for girls._

Eleanor glanced up at Ivy's bracelet her mother was now gushing over. After wincing, she went back to her note.

_I didn't have any money, so I made you one._

_Sorry if you think it's stupid. _

_Happy Christmas!!!_

_Liam_

After a long pause, Eleanor finally took the bracelet out of the box and, taking her chances, asked Ivy to tie it around her wrist. Ivy was either too busy worrying about her present or didn't pay attention because she did it without a word or glance at Eleanor.

It wasn't until Eleanor had stared at the bracelet on her wrist for two minutes did she realize she had forgotten something. It came as a jolt, a sickening feeling in her gut, and she knew she didn't have time to remedy the situation.

She hadn't sent Liam anything for Christmas. She didn't even know they were exchanging presents. He didn't say anything before break. How was she supposed to know that they were going to get gifts for each other? She had never exchanged gifts before.

Scrambling off of the floor, Eleanor quickly said her goodbyes (though they fell on deaf ears; the source of all attention was Ivy's present) and then made her way into the study room.

She expected to find _something_ to send him – a trinket or an interesting thing of her father's but there was _nothing_.

He was going to hate her. He was probably sitting with his brothers, waiting for her present and she had sent him nothing.

She was going to lose her only friend.

Rummaging through the nearest drawer, she found her father's old watch. With a closer look, she found it wasn't ticking. With a dejected sigh, she placed it down on the desk.

Would he understand if she just sent a letter?

But would his brothers tease him about the thoughtless present? She didn't want it to look like Liam had no friends. He deserved a present.

When she peeked back in the living room, she saw it was now completely empty. Her parents' voices were coming from the kitchen now. Taking her chance, Eleanor went over to the bookshelf with books and other special items.

Liam wouldn't want a book; he didn't like to read as much as her.

He liked games though. On the bottom shelf, Eleanor found various types of games, but they were her mother's – all muggle. The only one she recognized was a muggle version of wizarding chess. None of the pieces even moved.

Liam probably already had this game. Or his brothers had it. His brothers had everything Liam had – except for anything that had to deal with the wizarding world.

If only it was a set of wizarding chess.

She could -

No, that was against the rules.

But if it was for Liam...

She couldn't. It could have some serious repercussions.

Yet, she knew that it was for a good cause. It would only be one time and she would just get a warning. One little warning wasn't going to do much harm.

Liam always told her to live her life and, even though she always refused, she knew it was entirely probable to make a small change. But was this a small change or was it too drastic?

Holding the box to her chest, Eleanor slowly got up from the floor and made her way upstairs quickly, shutting her bedroom door behind her. She stood against the door for a couple seconds, reminding herself to keep breathing and then crossed over to where her wand was sitting on the desk.

Without even stopping to reprimand herself, Eleanor spilled out the contents of the box, pointed her wand and whispered "_Piertotum Locomotor_." She hesitated, wondering whether or not to check to see if the spell worked, but her rapidly beating heart told her otherwise.

Hastily, she took a piece of parchment from her desk and wrote a quick letter.

_Liam,_

_Sorry this is late. I didn't know we were exchanging gifts and I didn't plan your present ahead of time. _

_This is a muggle game of chess. I used a spell to make the pieces move like wizarding chess since I knew that you like wizarding games. _

_Happy Christmas._

_Eleanor_

_P.S. Thanks for the present._

A few minutes later, she had sent the family owl with the box and the letter. Sitting down at her desk, she folded her hands in front of her and waited.

It only took eleven minutes for Eleanor to hear the sound of feet against the hard wood of the stairs. Judging by the noise, it was two people en route to her room. In two seconds, they would be opening the door to her room and -

"Eleanor Susan Bennett, you were doing magic in the house?"

She had expected her father to be the one to yell at her and jumped slightly when she heard her mother's voice instead. With a blank face, she turned her head to look at her parents. "I wanted to see if I was correctly performing one of the charms from my essay. Since I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing, I tried the spell out for the sake of my grade in the class. I'm sorry." She said it as quick as she could, not knowing how they would react.

Her parents took one long look at her and then her father exclaimed, "Remember, you aren't allowed to use magic in the house during breaks."

Eleanor immediately nodded.

"Keep up the good work," her mother added before they shut the door behind them.

Letting out a sigh and ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she had actually done something _that _risky, Eleanor went to find the essay assigned over break.

His letter in return came the next day.

It came during breakfast, just as Eleanor was sitting down in her usual chair at the end of the table. The owl landed next to Ivy and she retrieved the letter, her eyes quickly glancing at the name on the front.

Catching Eleanor's eye, she moved the letter across the table in her direction. And, even though they were trying to be sneaky about it, their mother still noticed the motion.

"Did Eleanor get post?" Her tone was curious and Eleanor hesitated.

"Oh, it's just Eleanor's friend," Ivy answered for her. Her mother dropped the subject and Eleanor could breathe again. She didn't ask whether or not the friend was a girl or, worse, a boy. That would have been an awkward conversation.

Opening the letter over porridge, Eleanor caught sight of the familiar handwriting.

_YOU SERIOUSLY USED YOUR MAGIC TO MAKE ME SOMETHING?!_

_That's against the law! Did you get in trouble? You're not grounded or anything, are you? I hope you're good. The wizarding police don't come and take you away, do they?_

_Send me back a message just in case! _

_Thank you SO SO SO much for the chess set. _

_Liam_

_This was so awesome that you don't have to worry about getting me a birthday present. This is the best!!!_

Eleanor had to abandon her breakfast to quickly write a response. Just in case he really thought she was in Azkaban.

* * *

As always, a hundred thank yous to Nathpollen for editing.

And all of you reading and reviewing are absolutely amazing. I'm happy you like this story!

For those of you wondering, you will meet Liam's brothers in a later chapter. They're especially fun to write.

Sneak peek with a 17-year-old Liam and his brothers: _  
"LITTLE BROTHER!"  
Someone tried to jump onto his back but Liam quickly turned around and scrambled to get out of the way. "Conner, what are you doing?"  
"We found you!" Conner exclaimed. Behind him, Sean was grinning widely.  
Liam groaned. "Great."_

And the rest is a spoiler, so I'll disappear now. And...DISAPPEAR.


	4. Bad Day

She was having a bad day and he didn't know how to react to her sudden hostility.

It had started in Potions that morning when she accidentally tipped one of the ingredients onto the table. Liam had quickly cleaned it up for her, but ever since then, she immediately went quiet and refused to talk to anyone, including him.

She always talked to him; he had gotten used to her telling him everything since she never talked to anyone else. But now, she was just staring at the table with an intense glare and he didn't know how to react.

And then she had an A on one of her essays for Transfiguration and he winced at the sight of it. As he predicted, she fell into an even more hostile mood.

Was he supposed to say something to her to make her feel better? He had no clue what to say, not when she was ignoring him at least.

He tried once on the way to dinner.

"Nice day, isn't it?" He thought it was an innocent question – something that she would just answer and he would finally hear her say something.

She did respond but it was in hardened voice. "It's February, Liam."

He supposed that meant 'no.' Nervously taking a couple steps back, he let out a deep breath and continued to follow her. She wasn't going to talk to him; he just had to accept it.

She barely ate anything at dinner and then she scrambled out of her seat before Liam even realized she was leaving. When he looked to find her seat empty, he quickly followed her out of the Great Hall.

What was he supposed to do when she was briskly walking down the corridor with a scowl on her face?

She slowed down when they were on the next floor and he tried to catch his breath. Even though she had slowed, she was still stomping loudly and that awful frown was on her face.

Without thinking, Liam hurried up and, to stop Eleanor from running away, grabbed her arm. She whirled around to look at him and then Liam forgot anything he could say to make it better.

After a couple awkward seconds, he finally asked, "You okay?"

Of course she wasn't, he knew, but that made it sound like he cared about her well-being, right? He didn't know how to comfort anyone; somebody needed to teach him (not his brothers because that wouldn't end well).

She was just staring at him and he hastily let go off her arm, in case she was offended. Obviously, she wasn't okay if she wasn't answering. Or she was and didn't want to talk to him. All he wanted was for her to just tell him _something_.

He almost let out a sigh of relief when she opened her mouth, ready to say something. But then she abruptly shut it again and turned away from him. He was about to tell her that he seriously needed to know when she answered nonverbally by suddenly collapsing in front of him.

Liam's eyes widened and he froze.

His heart began pounding and he couldn't breathe.

It was only a second before he was on his knees, hyperventilating and murmuring about how it was his fault. If he was still holding on her, maybe he pushed her too hard, was she dying? It was his fault – he did this. He did this to her.

As he struggled to breathe, he checked her pulse and frantically moved to do something. What was he supposed to do?

She could be dying and he was just standing there. He was the worst friend in the world. Blinking back his tears, he quickly looked around the corridor for someone to help. No one.

"Oh my god, don't die, please don't die, you can't die, please," he began pleading with her unconscious form. Trying to take in deep breaths, he sat back and muttered, "What am I supposed to do? I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't know!" He choked in a couple breaths and didn't even try to hide his tears.

He was utterly and completely lost.

Hospital wing – that's where she needed to be. The nurse would help her – and she could save Eleanor. He needed to get her there.

He reached for his wand with a shaking hand, trying to remember the spell. "_Wing-_" He struggled to take in a breath and then forced himself to continue. "_Wingar-" _He couldn't get the words out. Why was he failing when he finally had a reason to use the spell? He was going to be the reason she died.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed out loud. "I don't know what to do and I'm sorry – I'm so sorry that I'm the worst friend ever and I'm sorry!"

In desperation, he moved to see if he could move her and found that she was actually quite light. Hastily removing his bookbag, he got up on his feet and crouched down to see if he could lift her up. It wasn't as hard as he thought and as soon as she was in a safe position, he began walking as fast as he could to the hospital wing.

He didn't pay attention to where he was going; he just knew he had to be on the right floor. He ignored everyone, quickly passing them before they could question him.

And then he saw the double doors and with a shift of the weight in his arms, he managed to open the door.

"Madam!" he quickly shouted.

She came bustling in without even taking a look at the scene in front of her. "Please, do not shout in the hospital-" Finally looking over at Liam, he could see her take in the look on his face and the girl he was carrying.

"Over here," she responded without any questions.

He could finally breathe again when he put her down on the bed. Looking up at the nurse, he asked, in an unusual high pitched voice, "Is she going to be okay? What's wrong with her?"

"I need to know what happened first," she exclaimed, placing a hand on Eleanor's forehead. Eleanor looked sickly now – her cheeks were red and he could see that she wasn't breathing right. Something was wrong and it had to be really bad.

Why didn't he realize that she was sick sooner? He was an awful friend – the worst one ever. This is why he couldn't make friends – he was so bad at it.

"I don't know – she just fainted suddenly out of nowhere and I don't know what happened," he answered in a rush.

The nurse was suddenly pushing him away. "Wait over there-"

"No!" he interrupted, violently shaking off her hand. "I have to-" But then she was leading him away again with her nails digging into his shoulder. As soon as he was standing at the other side of the room, she let go and made her way back, pulling the curtains around Eleanor's bed. "I need to know!" he tried again, desperately, trying to make her understand.

The nurse appeared from the other side of the bed and asked, with a frightening piercing look, "Are you family?"

Liam stalled. "No, but-"

"Then stay here," she ordered him, giving him a hard look before disappearing behind the curtain.

She was probably dying and he couldn't even see her and he needed to see her just to make sure she was okay and he couldn't even breathe anymore.

Family – he needed her family.

Her sister!

-x-

What was he supposed to say to Ivy when she came out of the common room? What if she thought it was his fault? What if she hated him?

Nervously pacing in front of the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, he tried to distract himself by cracking his knuckles but that only made him wince. He hated the sound.

The portrait finally swung open and he quickly turned to see Ivy staring back at him. He had never thought of anything to say and he didn't even have time to think of anything – not when Eleanor could be really sick.

She needed Ivy to be there _right now_.

"What's wrong, Liam?" Ivy asked, a look of concern on her face.

He didn't hesitate to tell her. There was no time. "Eleanor."

"Wha-" She began to ask him, but Liam had other plans. He grabbed her hand, pulling her down the corridor. "No, tell me," Ivy continued to plead with him.

He couldn't even think straight – how was he supposed to tell her now? "Please, just trust me," Liam said instead. Ivy followed him hurriedly, hopefully finally sensing the urgency. As they rounded the corner, finally coming to the hospital wing, Liam looked back to see Ivy standing in the middle of the corridor – not even moving when Eleanor could be dying!

"Come on," he impatiently said, pulling her inside.

Eleanor was lying on the bed in the corner, looking very sickly. Liam immediately started to explain, never taking his eyes off of her. "We were heading back to the Ravenclaw common room. And, I don't know what happened, but she just fell to the ground. She was fine all day and then, out of nowhere, she fainted. I don't know what's wrong. Madam Pomfrey won't tell me anything because I'm not family," he finished with a shuddering sigh.

This was probably his fault. He should have known earlier when she wouldn't talk to him. Maybe something was wrong then and if he would have _realized _it...

"I'll talk to Madam Pomfrey, Liam," Ivy told him. "You stay here."

He nodded, somehow losing the ability to speak and waited as Ivy spoke in hushed tones with Madam Pomfrey. Biting his lip, he tried to tell himself that she was going to be okay and it wasn't his fault. It couldn't be.

And then she walking back over to him, her mouth set in a hard line. What was she going to say? Something bad – it looked like something bad.

"It's just Sanor's," she said.

Sanor's. According to his textbook, that was just a common illness. He knew all about this common wizarding illness, but didn't even recognize her symptoms. "I should have known that," he said after a pause.

A movement from the bed caught his attention and he looked to see Eleanor stir.

Liam let out a slow breath of relief as he watched Ivy and Eleanor converse. She was alive – she was okay.

It was going to be okay.

* * *

Chapter four! Nathpollen has went on an awesome vacation so AkieriN has looked this over for me.

I went camping recently and came up with some ideas for this story. It's bound to be very interesting. I have a couple chapters already written. And there's a poll about Liam and Eleanor on my profile.

Thanks for reading this! It's becoming my new obsession of a story.


	5. One Answer

It didn't make _any _sense. If Ivy loved Sirius and he loved her in return, there weren't supposed to be any problems. They didn't have the pressures of society forcing them apart or the disapproval of anyone.

No, that was a lie. They had the disapproval of Remus and that was why they weren't together anymore, according to the information Eleanor could gather. However, it just didn't make any sense, after all, Remus was an understanding person. Surely, he wouldn't have gotten in the way of their relationship.

After Eleanor and Liam left Ivy in the Great Hall, they noticed Sirius walking ahead of them. Eleanor quickened her step, and then said, "Sirius?"

He turned around and she noticed the pained expression right away, but couldn't stop herself from asking. She had to know why this had happened when _everything_ had pointed to them staying together. "It doesn't make any sense. I mean, you and Ivy were in love, right? And if you were both in love, you wouldn't decide to break up for no reason, right? However, Remus does pose a potential problem. However, he seems sensible enough, and I don't think he'd get in between you on purpose. He cares for Ivy too much to do that to her. None of this makes sense."

She took in a deep breath and watched Sirius unblinkingly for an answer. She _needed _an answer.

"What did she tell you, Eleanor?" he finally asked.

Eleanor turned around, catching Liam's gaze. He was standing a few meters behind her, shuffling his feet for some reason. She hoped he remembered some of the conversation this morning and would at least contribute with a few words of his own (she didn't know how convincing she was alone). "Um, she said she was coming in between a friendship."

"And she wanted to sit with us from now," Liam added suddenly.

Sirius paused, then said, "She didn't say she was planning this for Remus's benefit or as a trick or something?"

Eleanor quickly shook her head, trying to make everything fit together, but nothing was working. "No, but people who love each other are never separated, right?" she voiced her frustration.

Sirius didn't respond, looking at the young girl knowingly. Without a word, he turned around and continued his walk down the corridor.

And she still didn't have her answer.

"Right?" she turned around, facing Liam.

Eleanor didn't expect the look on his face. He only briefly looked up to meet her eyes, but when he did, she immediately caught a glimpse of what looked like pain – almost like the expression that was on Sirius's face earlier. She kept staring at him, even when he looked back down at the floor.

"I'm sorry-" she began, immediately wanting to fix whatever she had accidentally said. It happened often since she never caught onto the power of her words until after they were spoken. "I just thought that-"

She trailed off as Liam suddenly strode over to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of her frozen fear that she had ruined everything again. He let go of her hand as she begun to follow him and they walked in awkward silence.

Once again, she had probably ruined everything. She wasn't good at this whole friend thing; she never knew what to do and Liam probably was having second thoughts about even hanging around her -

"Did you ever wonder about my accent?" he asked out of nowhere, startling her.

After realizing he was being serious, she raised an eyebrow at the odd question and answered with an only logical question, "What accent?"

Liam nodded, confusing her even further. "Exactly. Do you know where I live?"

Eleanor opened her mouth to begin her speech about how she had thought about it one day and came to the conclusion that he was from an Irish background but lived somewhere in England, but instead, she just shook her head.

"Ireland," he responded with a small smile. "I'm from this town called Athy-"

She couldn't even stop herself if she wanted to. "That makes no sense, Liam," she immediately began rambling, "If you were from Ireland, you'd have an accent and there's an extreme lack of one. And I read something about many small towns using Irish Gaelic still, even though it's mostly a dead language and you don't-"

"_Is as Éire mé,_" Liam said quickly, the words sounding so easily put together. Eleanor's mouth closed in mid-word and her eyes widened in surprise as Liam added, almost sheepishly, "I said, I'm from Ireland. You know, in Irish Gaelic..."

None of this made sense. "But you don't even have an accent!"

Liam shrugged slightly, moving to sit in the window alcove. "My dad is the one who has the Irish background, you know. My mum – she's from London. They wanted to live in Ireland, I guess. Except then my dad got a job overseas and I don't even know what he does anymore – but he's _always _been gone and I never see him. All of us – me and my brothers – we grew up with mum and I guess we never got introduced to the whole Irish side. There's not many people who live by us since we live in the country and we mainly stayed in the house anyways. I guess I got my mum's accent instead. Ruins the whole being Irish thing, I know."

"But I don't-" Eleanor began to say but couldn't find a way to explain what she was thinking.

Liam looked at her. "I learned some of the language from Ms. White, our neighbor who came over a couple times. I think she didn't like the fact that we were all growing up without knowing our background or something. I know a bit now; not a lot, just basic words."

Eleanor bit her lip, trying to stop herself from asking prying questions, but she couldn't help it. "When's the last time you saw your father?" She mentally winced at that personal question, but of course she just _had _to know.

"Two years," Liam answered without hesitation, "He doesn't even know I'm a wizard. Mum sent him a letter but I doubt he'll get it. They're not talking much anymore."

_People who love each other are never separated_. Eleanor felt like a fool for saying that now. She didn't know what to do with him; he was staring determinedly at the floor and taking in deep breaths. It was _her _fault that this topic had been brought up and she couldn't take it back now.

It still made _no _sense though. Sirius and Ivy and, even though she knew really nothing about Liam's family, she knew it shouldn't have had happened to them either.

Was she supposed to comfort Liam or do something to make him feel better? She didn't know how to do that.

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing she knew how to do.

Liam glanced up, meeting her gaze and said with a shrug, "I thought you should know."

She blinked. "Why?"

Liam smiled and she was relieved at the sight of it. "Shouldn't friends tell each other things like this?"

"I don't have anything to tell you," she immediately responded. It was her turn to say something now and she didn't have anything like that to tell him. Her life was okay compared to his – she didn't have any of these problems.

He just shrugged again. "Someday maybe."

Most likely.

* * *

It's a bit short, and there might be mistakes, but I really wanted to post again. There's some of Liam's background. It's _very _interesting actually.

I made a playlist for this story and the cover of it is on my profile. It's pretty adorable. I would show the songlist too, but it involves spoilers. I'll just say that there's very interesting songs on there such as Footloose and Grease.

So, what do you all think of this story? Any ideas on what will happen? What you _don't _want to happen? The poll is amusing me right now, so tell me your thoughts!


	6. Real Cooties

Liam looked to the side as he remembered a question he had about the last Potions essay, knowing that Eleanor probably had the answer. Instead of asking, his eyes fell onto a letter on the table. Eleanor was ignoring it by spreading jam on her toast and looking the other way.

"Eleanor-"

She didn't even glance at him as she replied, "Read it."

His eyebrows raised in curiosity, for there was no reason for Eleanor to want him to read her post. Nevertheless, he put down his fork to take the letter out of the envelope.

The only people who ever wrote to Eleanor were her parents, but that wouldn't make sense as to why she wanted him to read it. He had never met them or anything and he didn't even know much about them. But Eleanor said to read it, and if she said so, there was probably a good reason. Pulling out the piece of paper, Liam began reading.

_Eleanor,_

_I'm happy to hear about the straight Os on your Transfiguration essays!_

_However, I haven't heard you speak of any friends in your letters. You are a smart girl and I know you have the potential to make some great friends there. I do not like the idea of you sitting by yourself during meal times. You need to talk to people._

_Are the girls in your dormitory nice? You should make friends with them and we can have a birthday party for you this summer! Wouldn't that be nice? We could have a tea party if you want. I know you love those._

_Make sure you talk to someone today!_

_Love,_

_Mum_

Liam turned to see that Eleanor was eating her breakfast as if nothing happened. "You haven't told your family about me?"  He wasn't sure if he should be hurt or not. Of course he should be; she was probably embarrassed by him. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know much about the wizarding world. He wasn't brought up the way she had; everything was new to him. And now his only friend was embarrassed by the fact he didn't know anything-

He watched Eleanor shake her head with a sinking heart. "I can't."

What was he thinking trying to be Eleanor's friend? Obviously, it wouldn't work out. It was just a crazy notion.

She was staring at him again and he cleared his throat, trying to say something, but he couldn't force himself to speak.

Eleanor's eyes suddenly got large. "No, no, my mum is crazy," she quickly explained, "She would tease me forever about having a boy as a friend."

Liam let out a slow breath of relief. She wasn't embarrassed by him; she was just afraid of her mum. Everything was okay again. He could breathe.

She wasn't going to leave him.

"Oh, that makes sense." He paused, thinking about how his mother would react. Wincing, he realized it wouldn't be a better scenario. "I think you're still supposed to have cooties."

Liam watched as she smiled at his statement. "What if I told you that cooties are a wizarding bug?"  He gave her a skeptical look. "That's a lie."

She shrugged, taking a bite of her toast. "All boys and girls have them until they're thirteen."

She had to be lying; it didn't even sound plausible. In the muggle world, it was just a joke. It had to be a joke here too.

"Yeah right," he murmured.

Pulling the letter towards her, Eleanor picked a quill out of her bag. "I'm going to write to my mum and tell her that it's possible I have cooties," she said and Liam was beginning to doubt that it was a joke; she sounded quite professional.

But he only rolled his eyes at her. "You wouldn't want her to know about me in the first place."

She looked up from her letter. "Cooties are serious, Liam."

He caught her grave stare and Liam felt his chest tighten uncomfortably. Shock overtook him and he forgot how to take in a breath. Cooties were real? But he had no clue. Why didn't Eleanor tell him? Did it involve surgery? Would Madam Pomfrey be able to fix it? Would they still be able to remain friends?

Then he saw her smile.

"You _lied_," he breathed out, surprised and relieved.

She tried to hide her smile but failed. "That was fun," she exclaimed, as if it was a simple fact and she was just realizing the potential of tricking someone.

Liam shook his head at her. "Was that a _joke_?" Eleanor Bennett didn't make jokes. She was the serious one and _he_ was the one that made her laugh. She wasn't the type to joke around.

She shrugged. "It could be, I suppose."

He couldn't stop shaking his head at her incredulously.

"So, we're going to have to stay away from my mum," Eleanor suddenly changed the subject, leaning forward. "At the train station, I mean. If she sees me coming from the same compartment as you, she'll...well, you don't want to know."

She blinked a couple times, never breaking eye contact and Liam could tell she was being completely serious this time.

-x-

Their first school year had finally came to close and the train was coming to a stop at King's Cross. Liam turned around in his seat, checking outside of the window.

"Do you see your mum?" he asked Eleanor.

Eleanor paused, looking over the crowd. "She's over there – by that pillar, see?"

He caught sight of the woman with dark blonde hair. He squinted, but he couldn't see the family resemblance from that far away. Nodding, he scrambled off of the seat to get his things and make his way off of the train.

They walked with each other until they got to the door leading outside.

"Is she really that scary?" Liam asked again, standing on his tip toes trying to see over the 7th years. He was taller than most people in his year, but the older students still towered over him.

Eleanor nodded. "I don't want to come back to Hogwarts next year friendless," she responded.

Liam grimaced, imagining all the things that would make that scenario come true. "Well, I guess I'll see you next year then," he said.

He really had no clue what he was going to do this summer. He didn't like hanging around his brothers and the only kid his age was a girl named Siobhan who always tried to kiss him. He was absolutely terrified of her.

"I'll see you in September," she said, taking the first step off the train. "Oh-" She turned around, facing him again. "Actually, my birthday is in August. We could meet at Diagon Alley if you want to do something. It doesn't matter if you don't want to; it's just an idea-"

Liam immediately brightened. "Sure!"

"Okay, see you soon," she said quickly before disappearing into the crowd.

Maybe the summer wouldn't be that bad after all. At least his brothers wouldn't make fun of him for spending time his entire break with Siobhan. He just had to wait until August when he could see Eleanor again.

* * *

Nathpollen is backkkk and she edited this and she's AWESOME. I just wanted everyone to know that.

Anyway, here are Eleanor and Liam being adorable again. The next chapter may or may not be slightly not as adorable. You'll see. As always, you're free to speculate. Speculation is my favorite thing.

Thanks for reading!


	7. Birthday Plans

Eleanor would just have to tell her parents. There was no way that she was going to be able to go to Diagon Alley by herself. Since Ivy was gone, she would need her parents' supervision, which would mean that her mother would finally find out about Liam.

However, it couldn't end that badly because she knew exactly how to get around this potential problem.

Eleanor waited for her parents to come ask her about her birthday like they did every year at the beginning of August. Liam had already said he would be at Diagon Alley and he wasn't afraid of meeting her mum. Eleanor knew that was a lie; he had to be nervous ever since she had warned him about her mum at school.

She couldn't help but wonder how his summer was going. So far, she had spent the entire break rereading her books and listening to her mum's muggle music. Almost everyday, her mum was playing the soundtrack from that new motion picture _Grease_.

"Eleanor, honey!" She suddenly heard her father yell her name, breaking her out of her stupor.

Taking her time down the staircase, she listened into the conversation between her parents. They were definitely planning to ask her about the upcoming day.

"Yes?"

And then there was the question that she had been waiting for. "What would you like for your birthday?"

It was the perfect way to get what she wanted. With a smile, Eleanor answered, "I really want to go to Diagon Alley and get some new quills."

After a smile and a conformational nod from her father, Eleanor quickly headed back to her room and wrote to Liam, telling him to the good news. Everything was going perfectly.

It would be the first time spending her birthday with someone other than her family. She felt as if she would never stop smiling.

Eleanor spent the days before August 11th rereading every book on her shelf and sitting on her bed; she hardly even left her room. Her only glimpse of the outside world was when she pulled open the curtains covering her window.

She didn't have to worry about getting outside for some fresh air – her birthday would take care of that. A whole day outside in the sunshine. It was going to be absolutely perfect.

She counted down the days on a calendar, circling the date of her birthday in red ink. Her mum scrawled 'Eleanor's birthday!' in the corner with decorative balloons filling the square. Eleanor had always thought the day wasn't special enough to be decorated. This year was different.

When she woke up on August 10th, the day before her twelfth birthday, she looked outside to be met with darkened skies and rain splattering against the window. It looked absolutely gruesome.

At least it wasn't 11th. Feeling optimistic, Eleanor made her way downstairs into the kitchen and saw the Daily Prophet and a muggle newspaper sitting on the table. Picking up the newspaper first, she hastily flipped to the weather section and her heart sank.

**Tomorrow: **_Cloudy with thunderstorms all day. High 22C. Winds WNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 90%._

Maybe she could convince her parents to let Liam come over to the house. It was only a matter of time before they met him anyway and if she let them know he was important to her, they'd understand.

He would just have to deal with her mum.

Moving aside the Daily Prophet, Eleanor caught sight of a letter that had familiar writing scrawled on the front. She didn't hesitate to open it, wanting to read what he had to say as quick as possible so she could reply with her news.

_Eleanor,_

Below her name were a series of scribbling and ink splotches. Underneath that were a series of pleas.

_Please don't hate me.  
__You're going to hate me.  
__Don't, don't, don't hate me.  
__I'm the worst friend ever.  
__I'm sorry.  
__My brothers got me in trouble yesterday and my mum thinks I broke her china cabinet. I didn't, but she doesn't believe me because Sean and Conner always get their way. I always thought the youngest was the favorite but no because now I'm grounded and I can't even go out of the house.  
__I told my mum that I had to meet you because it's your birthday and I got you a present but she won't let me leave.  
__I'm sorry!  
__I guess you're allowed to hate me now. I'm sorry I'm a bad friend.  
__Please have fun tomorrow.  
__Liam  
__P.S. Happy birthday!_

The end was scrawled quickly and she knew he didn't want to write it. He probably wanted to tell her in person.

Eleanor put down the letter, folding it back together.

It was going to be just like every other year then. She was used to it. Her family would have dinner together. Hopefully, Ivy would come home. Her parents would give her a new book and Ivy would get her some new parchment and quills.

Like every year.

It wasn't like she deserved anything special anyway. It was just the day she was born. Her twelfth birthday. Not as big as thirteenth or sixteenth. Just twelve.

"It doesn't look like it's ever going to stop raining." Eleanor looked up to see her father enter the kitchen, looking out of the window.

"I don't want to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow," Eleanor exclaimed without a pause. Her father turned to her in surprise but Eleanor didn't care. "I just want to stay here. Is that okay?"

She expected her father to just agree like he always did, but instead he was staring at her like she said something surprising. "Are you sure?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look. "It is your birthday and we can still go to Diagon Alley with the rain."

Eleanor violently shook her head. "No, I want to stay here. I don't want to go outside in the rain. I want to have dinner here with everyone."

Her father nodded his head slowly. "Whatever you want, sweetheart. It's your day." After grabbing the Daily Prophet, he left back into the other room.

Ignoring the way her lip was trembling, for Eleanor Bennett simply _did not _cry, Eleanor grabbed a spare piece of parchment on the counter and began to write with a shaking hand.

_Liam,  
__It's okay. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm just going to have dinner with my family. I'll see you in September.  
__Eleanor_

She really had nothing else to say.

* * *

Much thanks to Nathpollen as always. She may be the best beta in the world. Seriously.

Anyway, sort of sad, but maybe things will get better? Though, if you are paying attention to the timeline, you know what's coming up soon.

Also, I recommend going over to StarKidPotter on YouTube and watching their videos. One is A Very Potter Musical which I've been quoting nonstop ("You can't go to Pigfarts! It's on MARS") and the other is a series entitled Little White Lie. There's a character very much like Tanya that will be in this story, so go and check that out!

Thanks for reading as always! Leave a review if you want. I'd love to see what you think.


	8. Eleanor Rigby

Liam managed to disappear into the crowd, leaving his mother and his brothers who just _insisted _they had to come, back outside the platform. It wasn't as if they could follow him in, though Liam couldn't deny that the mental image of his brothers running into a wall was somewhat enticing.

He stood up, trying to see over everyone's heads. Eleanor had to be somewhere.

"Make some friends this year. No more concentrating on only your studies."

Liam stopped in the middle of the crowd, turning slightly to catch a glimpse of an older woman that resembled the person he was looking for.

"Yes, mum. I promise."

He was right; it was her. Pushing his cart forward, he caught a glimpse of the back of Eleanor's head. She was only a few people ahead of him and if he just pushed his way through-

"Be good this year. I know Ivy isn't there to check on you-"

"I don't need anyone watching me," Eleanor responded without a beat.

Liam's eyebrows rose. He was expecting her to just agree with them and wished he could see their faces to gauge their reactions to Eleanor's statement.

"Fine, sweetheart. Have a great year," her father finally answered.

Keeping his distance, Liam watched as they exchanged goodbyes. Eleanor was now facing him and he could see the annoyance in her expression.

As soon as her parents left back through the crowd, turning in Liam's direction and barely avoiding getting into a collision with him. Liam finally managed to catch Eleanor's gaze after maneuvering around them. She let out a visible sigh, shoulders slumping, as made her way over to him.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked.

"Good to see you too," Eleanor muttered before turning in the direction of the train. Liam went to follow her, absolutely bewildered.

He hadn't done anything, had he?

She was silent the entire time they boarded the train and found an empty compartment. Just as Liam was about to ask her again, she locked eyes with him. "They just wouldn't stop chastising me about how I had no friends all summer!"

He blinked at her outburst and then said, slowly, "Is this about missing your birthday-?" The guilt still kept him up at night.

Eleanor shook her head. "It's not your fault, Liam. I understand that if you had been allowed to come, you would have been there, but you were grounded so there was absolutely no way you could have made it. Besides, it was a long trip for you and it was entirely probable that this was going to happen from the beginning. It was my stupid idea and my stupid bracelet came apart-"

"Your what?" Liam interrupted her.

She held up her wrist, avoiding his gaze. "I didn't mean to make it break, but it just did a couple days after my birthday. I swear, I took good care of it."

"No, that's a good thing!" Liam told her, waving his hands furiously. "It means you get a wish or something. My brother's girlfriend told me about it."

All of this time, she was moody because _his _bracelet had fallen off. She _did_ care. He could have grinned at the thought.

"Really?" Eleanor asked after a beat.  "Yeah," Liam exclaimed, failing to conceal a grin. "Oh, and I got your present!"

She looked at him and he just continued to smile at the look of confusion on her face. "What?"

He pulled his bag into his lap. "I brought it with me since – you know." He didn't have to finish his sentence as both of them knew what he meant.

Fishing into his bag, he brought out a square, flat gift wrapped in light blue wrapping paper. "I had my mum help me wrap it. She knows a bit about you now."

He expected her to comment about that, but she just took the present with a smile. "Thanks."

"Oh, don't open it yet!" Liam added and Eleanor had to quickly put down the side flap of the wrapping paper that she was beginning to tear off. "Wait until we get to Hogwarts."

Liam quite enjoyed the look on Eleanor's face. "Why?" After all, surprises were his favorite thing.

"You'll see."

-x-

"I can't go up there."

She halted right outside the door, pushing away even when he tried to pull her along. "But we have to!" he exclaimed. He had a feeling she would do this, but he couldn't just bring it down into the common room where everyone could see it. "Please?" he asked, pulling slightly again.

She shook her head. "Liam, I cannot go into the boys' dormitory. That is against the rules and it's not-"

"But you can't open that unless you come with me," he said, pointing to her present. It was somewhat was mean and unfair, though he hoped she wouldn't see it that way at least, but she wouldn't refuse. She wouldn't leave him now, not after she had freaked out about the bracelet.

And when he pulled this time, she followed him. They quickly made their way up to his dormitory and, even though Liam could _feel _Eleanor's hesitation, she didn't try to run away.

"Uh, you can take a seat if you want."

She only blinked at him. He grimaced.

"On your bed?" She said it as if it was the worst thing in the world. But it was the first day back and his bed was made and the sheets were washed and he hadn't even used it for months.

Without a response, she sat down slowly, looking around as if she was completely out of her element.

He knew she was and there it was again – that guilt.

"You can open it now," he told her, trying to get rid of the awkwardness.

She slowly unfolded the paper, starting at the edges and making sure to get it off in one piece. When she turned over the unwrapped present, Liam held his breath, hoping for a good reaction. When he didn't say anything right away, he scrambled over to his belongings, pulling out a box.

Placing it next to Eleanor on the bed, he pulled off the cover and then took the present out of Eleanor's immobile hands. In a record time, he had everything ready and, with a spell, the box began playing immediately.

"_Ah, look at all the lonely people. Ah, look at all the lonely people. Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been. Lives in a dream."_

He took in Eleanor's blank stare.

"It's The Beatles. Eleanor Rigby. Um, I thought you'd like the record because your name is Eleanor and all and it's one of my favorite songs. Kind of sad though, but it's really good and I enchanted a record player with the help of an older student last year so I could play records. And..." She was still just _staring _at him and Liam was beginning to get nervous. "If you don't like it, there's Yellow Submarine on it too. It's about...a yellow submarine and a guy who lives in one and..." he trailed off, noticing how stupid the whole thing was. "It's my only copy of the record. I thought you'd like it; I'm sorry if you hate it..."

Eleanor was giving him a strange look. "Why did you give it to _me_ if it's your only copy?"

The answer was simple. "Because your name is in it. It reminded me of you."

"_Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name; nobody came."_

Liam winced at the unfortunate placement of the lyric and almost missed the amused smile that flickered on Eleanor's face for a mere second.

"Thanks," she whispered and her hushed words assured Liam that she really meant it.

* * *

Collective awww...

Nathpollen = awesome as always. She knows it.

So, what did y'all think? (I'm not Southern.) Frankly, I love these two. The next chapters aren't going to be that happy though...sadness.


	9. Roommate Problems

Eleanor woke up early one morning in October and quietly made her way out of her four poster bed. She had to finish getting ready before her roommates woke up and noticed she was still in the dormitory. It was her routine; she never had to speak with any of the other girls if she was gone before they were awake.

Liam had caught onto this only a couple weeks after they had met last year and tried to be ready in the common room as soon as possible, but he was always at least twenty minutes later than Eleanor. She didn't mind; she could wait. It was better than staying in the dormitory with all those girls she didn't know.

After pressing down her tie and fixing her left shoe, Eleanor left the bathroom and stopped outside the door. They were all awake and _staring _at her.

"Um, hi," she tried to make conversation but she already had no clue what to say or do.

The girl on the closest four-poster sneered at her and Eleanor reacted by taking a step back, trying to hide behind the door.

Why did they have to be awake? Eleanor stared at the one girl who was still sneering at her and winced; she didn't look that nice. In fact, it looked like she was repulsed by Eleanor's very presence.

Suddenly, the girl took a step forward, crossing her arms. "Why do you always leave so early?"

Eleanor blinked, taking in the girl's upturned nose and lip that was curled in disgust. Still cringing, Eleanor could only reply with a shrug. All words were escaping her.

It was as if the girl had been waiting to complain about Eleanor; she didn't even hesitate to continue ranting.

"Do you hate us or do you think you're too good to even be seen with us?"

Another girl with dark hair nodded her agreement but continued looking down at the ground instead of at Eleanor.

"I-" Eleanor tried to say but her voice wasn't working right.

"I'm sorry if you think you're better than everyone else," the first girl exclaimed, "I'm sorry if you think that we're not good enough to hang out with you." Eleanor tried shaking her head, but the girl continued, "But you're not better than us and you need to stop acting like it!"

Eleanor still refused to move from her spot, hardly believing the words that were coming out of the brunette's mouth. She had never thought that her roommates actually didn't like her. She just thought they were better without socializing with each other. Eleanor didn't come to Hogwarts to make friends; she just wasn't good at any of that. She thought that she only came for the education.

"Really now? You don't have anything to say?"  The other girls in the dormitory only stared at Eleanor with blank expressions. The dark-haired girl she saw earlier wasn't even blinking and another brunette was narrowing her eyes at her. The last girl with auburn hair was staring so intently in Eleanor's direction that it made her quite nervous. Having to glance down, Eleanor caught a glimpse of the suitcase underneath the upturned-nose-girl.

_Marnie Sheldon._

Marnie. She had no clue that that was her name. How could Eleanor never recognize any of her roommates' names?

Eleanor took in a slow breath and the girl, Marnie, sighed in exasperation. "Seriously? You won't even _talk _to us? Tell us what you think?"

What could Eleanor say? Sorry? Her lip was trembling too much to form any words.

"Or is the only person you allow to talk to you that Liam Pritchard? You don't even _have _any other friends but him and no wonder, you won't even talk to us!"

No matter how many times Eleanor opened her mouth to say something, no words would come out. She had nothing to say to her roommates and this Marnie girl who hated her. Her hands shook and her throat closed up and she just wanted to be sitting next to Liam and talking to _him, _not them. She never had a panic attack with him.

Eleanor had no clue what she did wrong; she only wanted to be left alone and now, one of her roommates was yelling at her from out of nowhere. But it didn't matter. They were only her roommates and she didn't have to deal with them if she didn't want to.

Without a single word, Eleanor tore her gaze away from Marnie's intense stare and fled out of the dormitory.

-x-

She was quietly pushing the eggs around her plate when she felt someone sit next to her. It wasn't a mystery who it was; after all, it could only be one person.

"Why weren't you waiting in the common room?"  She could tell that he was trying to cover up the hurt in his voice. "No reason," she finally answered, mashing the eggs underneath her fork. It wasn't as if she was going to eat them anyway; her stomach was too queasy.

"Oh," Liam said softly.

He immediately turned his attention away from her by grabbing his own breakfast. Eleanor sighed, leaning against her hand.

Maybe her roommates were right. Maybe she did act like she was too good for everyone here. Maybe that was why she had no other friends other than Liam. But she also didn't know how to act around everyone else; she _wanted _to seem friendly.

Liam seemed like that type of person, and yet, he didn't have any other friends. Even though she had tried figuring it out multiple times, Eleanor still couldn't out the reason why.

"Did something happen?" Liam's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts.

Eleanor glanced over at him and shrugged, trying to think of a way to tell him. She had to tell him, right? He was her friend and this is what she was supposed to do. She also _wanted _to tell him. She wanted to confide in someone and have someone finally understand.

"I think my roommates hate me," she finally muttered, looking back down at her food.

Liam's reaction was immediate. "What – why?"

Eleanor wouldn't take her eyes off the plate in front of her. "This girl, Marnie, she told me that I never talked to them and probably thought that I was too good to talk to her or something. I don't know; I don't care."

"Yes, you do." Surprised, Eleanor looked over at Liam. "You wouldn't be so sad if you didn't care."

With a loud sigh, Eleanor went back to her eggs. She knew Liam was right, but didn't know how to respond to that statement.

In the middle of separating her food into two separate sections, Eleanor heard rustling in front of her and then Liam was nudging her in the side frantically.

What if it was Marnie? Eleanor's breath caught in her throat and she determinedly kept her gaze on the table.

However, Liam wouldn't stop bothering her. Did he know what Marnie looked like? If it was her, he probably didn't have a clue.

Trying to calm her racing heart, Eleanor glanced up to catch a glimpse of the color auburn. Marnie didn't have auburn hair-

Eleanor lifted up her head to see her other roommate sitting across from her, bookbag resting on the seat next to her while she picked up a piece of toast.

Looking over at Liam, the two share a quick confused expression.

"Hi," Liam finally said, leaning forward.

The girl took a bite of her toast and Eleanor had the sinking feeling that she was just going to ignore Liam. But then why was she sitting with them?

"Hello," she suddenly answered and Eleanor's heart skipped a beat. "It's okay that I sit here, right? I don't want to deal with Marnie anymore; she's so annoying."

Eleanor's eyebrows rose in surprise. Did someone else actually feel that way about Marnie too? She could only nod in response.

The girl smiled. "Oh, by the way, my name's Suzanne. I'm sorry that Marnie went all crazy this morning. I don't think that you're snobby or anything. She's just crazy in the morning...or really, all the time."

Eleanor smiled as Suzanne continued with her rant about Marnie. As they spent the rest of the morning talking, laughing, and getting to know each other, Eleanor felt herself being able to breathe again. Not all of her roommates hated her.

In fact, she was finding a friend in one.

* * *

I seriously did not mean to have all of my "mean" characters to have similiar names. Marlene...Marnie... Someone on Twitter gave me a suggestion for a name, and I took it. But Marnie isn't all that she seems, so wait for that. She's actually pretty awesome...in a way that I can't tell you. If you have watched Little White Lie, she's basically just like the character Tanya. In fact, I'll put a link to the series on my profile.

Suzanne will have a bigger role later on. I have another _two _characters I'll be introducing later too.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Since I don't know what most people think of this story, leave a review telling me! I'd love to know. Thanks for reading.


	10. Sudden Attack

Despite the impending menace on the wizarding world, nothing had changed at Hogwarts. There were whispers around the school; his name was in quiet tones, sometimes even changed to You-Know-Who and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Even though they were aware of the danger outside, the whole student body went on as before. It didn't seem like anything would ruin it.

Until now.

Liam could hear them whispering around the corner as they tried to stay out of view, probably to give him some time alone. Frankly, he could have cared less about having personal space. He didn't even want space.

"But what if he doesn't want to talk to me?"

He wondered why Eleanor thought he couldn't hear her; she was smart enough to know that he was only a few meters away and speaking in hushed voices in an empty corridor was bound to reverberate off the walls.

"He needs to talk to someone!"

Ever since the incident with Eleanor's roommates last month, Suzanne had stayed around them and away from the rest of the Ravenclaw girls. It was still somewhat awkward between the three, but Liam could tell Eleanor was trying to open up.

There was a long silence and Liam had the feeling Eleanor was seriously considering Suzanne's advice. And then, with a couple soft footfalls, he knew she was standing behind him.

And for once, he didn't know what he could say to her. His mind was already too jumbled.

"Hi..."

Turning around, he caught a glimpse of Suzanne hiding behind the corner. Eleanor was staring at him expectantly, looking almost nervous.

He knew why.

"It's okay-" he began, trying to reassure her.

"Did you know him well?" she interrupted him without pause.

Liam was used to the questions and curiosity by now. After all, she didn't know much about his family other than the troubles with his father. Liam didn't like talking about his brothers and he never had anything interesting to say about his mother; in fact, he avoided conversations about his family.

And now, with this...

"No," he finally responded with a soft shrug. "I met him a couple times, but he never visited. We always went to see him when my father was around."

Eleanor was frowning at him and he paused, waiting for her next comment. "He was still your uncle. It's so awful. Unexpected. Cruel."

Liam nodded at Eleanor's exclamations. He _never _expected to be called into Flitwick's office for something other than schoolwork. Instead, through much stuttering and many hesitations, the Professor finally had told him that there was an attack, one by the Dark Wizard and his followers on a muggle town. And his uncle...

Slowly taking in a breath, Liam forced himself to smile. "I'm starving," he said, turning around to make his way down to the Great Hall.

Eleanor hesitated before following him and Suzanne quickly ran to catch up. They were quiet and Liam felt like doing or saying something to get his mind off of what had just happened. They just weren't any good at comforting and Liam had the feeling Eleanor was silently freaking out about it, wishing she knew the right words to say.

What could she say anyway?

In the Great Hall, they took their usual seats and Liam tried to smile to relieve some of the awkwardness. But when he looked over at the Hufflepuff table, he could see a student had dissolved into tears and he knew she was going through the same thing as him.

Thankfully, Eleanor leaned forward and started to say, "Liam, did you-"

"Students!"

Liam's attention turned to the Headmaster standing in front of the podium with his arms outstretched in a greeting. The hall immediately hushed at the sound of his voice as if they knew what had happened. Liam hoped there wasn't any rumors going around; he didn't want anyone trying to sympathize with him.

"As you may very well know, outside of these walls there is a growing threat to the wizarding world."

Liam had heard all of this before. Professor Dumbledore had given a similar speech at the beginning of the term. Even though it was vague, he still could sense the severity of the situation. However, there hadn't been an attack on the _muggle_ world then.

His own _family _was now in danger and they had no idea what was happening. How were the muggles supposed to save themselves when they couldn't be warned beforehand?

"The Ministry wishes for me to stay silent about his rise to power. However, as your headmaster, I am meant to prepare you for the outside world and I feel you must be aware and conscious of this serious threat. Yesterday, there was an attack in Wales on a muggle community."

Liam could practically feel Eleanor's gaze on him.

"For your safety, tomorrow's Hogsmeade trip is canceled."

A loud groan met Dumbledore's words. But Liam didn't care. Even if he was allowed to go, he wouldn't care. As long as this "Dark Lord" was rising in power, he couldn't care about trips to get butterbeer and Licorice Whips.

His uncle was dead.

Anyone could be next.

As Dumbledore ended with a few reassuring words, Liam glanced over at Eleanor to find that she was still staring at him. He expected another round of questions about his uncle or maybe more questions about his mental health.

"Do you think Ivy's okay?" she asked instead, the words so even and yet, he could tell she was struggling with every syllable.

Liam shuffled his feet, looking down at the table. Suzanne wasn't looking at them; she was hidden behind a textbook.

"Yeah," he finally said, though he wasn't sure if he believed it himself. "I mean, she's not even in danger, right? She's working for the Daily Prophet now and all they do is write articles. Aren't her friends working with Dumbledore or something? They'll keep her safe."

Eleanor nodded, looking quite convinced. "And we're absolutely safe here at Hogwarts. We don't have to worry."

She sounded as if she was trying to reassure herself. Liam nodded, watching Eleanor carefully. She seemed so disturbed by the news that was supposed to hurt him the most. His _uncle _was attacked and yet, he wasn't even crying. He needed to cry; that's what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to be like the Hufflepuff.

Maybe it was just because he didn't know his uncle that well. If it was his mother, his brothers, even his _father, _would he be crying? Probably.

If it was Eleanor? He didn't want to think about it.

Then, he realized he was shaking and didn't understand why. Eleanor didn't hesitate to still his hands, by placing her own on top of them.

"Nothing bad is going to happen," she reassured.

He nodded mutely. "Everything is going to be fine."

After all, how much of a threat could one wizard hold?

* * *

Oh, the irony.

Nathpollen gets props as always. Lots of props. Like a random lamp...it is used a prop, right?

_Anyway_, thanks for all of the reviews! I really appreciate it. You're all awesome.


	11. Unwanted Letter

The letter was just so formally written. The way it said _Miss Eleanor S. Bennett_ at the very top in cursive writing and then how the margin was exactly two inches. Then the message followed, ending with a scrawled -

_Madame Calliope M. Plathe   
Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes_

Everyone knew exactly what it was – the formal, yellow letter with a red seal only meant one thing. At first the Heads of Houses were in charge of notifying the students, but as the number of attacks increased, formal letters began to be delivered, exactly like the one Eleanor had received.

Suzanne left before the owl swooped in the window, landing on the sill with the letter. The only people left in the dormitory were Eleanor and Marnie. Eleanor had been planning to get out of the room as soon as possible, but with the arrival of the letter, all rational escaped her.

Surprisingly, Marnie stayed quiet while Eleanor had opened the letter and skimmed the message.

"What's wrong?" Marnie asked as soon as Eleanor folded up the letter and pocketed it.

But Eleanor was already halfway across the room. "Nothing," she answered quietly. She nervously played with the parchment in her pocket as she made her way to the common room, wondering what she was going to say about it.

It was only a matter of time before someone found out and put it in the Daily Prophet. And then everyone was going to try to sympathize with her and she didn't want it.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Ivy worked for the Daily Prophet, so she wasn't supposed to be in any danger. Liam had said it was going to be fine and it _wasn't_.

But many people were getting the letters; there was no reason to get upset. Death was becoming a normal occurrence and there was no reason to throw a fit just because it happened to someone close. She was no one special.

Eleanor didn't want anyone to try to comfort her. She was _fine_. Liam got over the death of his uncle in a matter of days. He was strong. She could be too.

She could act like it never happened. Even if she felt like she was about to break down, she had to stop and remind herself that Eleanor Bennett did not cry.

"Hey!" Liam called from across the common room, startling Eleanor as made his way over to her with a grin on his face.

She struggled to take in a breath and then forced a smile on her face. "Good morning." She noticed Liam pause and look at her. "I'm hungry," she hastened to say to get Liam's attention elsewhere.

He gave her a strange look but followed Eleanor out of the common room without a single question.

-x-

"Why is everyone staring over here?"

Eleanor glanced up at Liam's words and found the whole Ravenclaw table looking at her, some behind books and parchment, but their eyes were all on her.

Biting her lip, Eleanor looked around for a copy of the Daily Prophet, finally seeing it next to an empty seat. She flipped through it quickly, looking for any headline that would say -

There was nothing. But then why was everyone staring at her? Watching one of her roommates closely, she saw one of the girls, Ophelia, look down as soon as she saw Eleanor staring back. Suddenly, Marnie leaned forward, whispering something in her ear. Ophelia nodded furiously, glancing up again at Eleanor.

Letting out a sharp breath, Eleanor looked down at her plate and tried to convince herself that Marnie hadn't done anything. No one knew anything.

"What is wrong?" she could hear Liam asking her.

She wanted to tell him so badly, but didn't know if it was the right thing to do. They were supposed to tell each other everything. He told her about his uncle.

Reaching into her pocket, Eleanor brought out the letter and looking determinedly at the table, handed it over to Liam.

He must have read only a few lines because it was almost immediate. "Are you okay?" he asked slowly, as if he was afraid she was going to start screaming hysterically, but she would _never _do that. Not in front of everyone.

"Yes," she said slowly, leaning over to take a bite of toast.

"Eleanor, you just got a _letter_."

Her fingers began to tear the toast into little pieces and she could only nod, her throat closing up at his words.

"Is – does everyone know?"

Eleanor looked up at him and caught sight of Marnie shaking her head in a sympathetic gesture. With a shuddering sigh, Eleanor nodded.

Liam looked behind him and then back at her, his eyes wide. Before he could open his mouth to say something, Eleanor cut him off. "No, I know what you're going to say. I'm fine, I promise. I don't need any sympathy and I don't care about Marnie."

Why was she lying to him?

He started shaking his head at her. "Why are you trying to act as if nothing's wrong?"

"You don't understand." Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Eleanor quickly scrambled out of her seat and bolted out of the Great Hall.

Everyone was going to start to apologize and try to hug her and she didn't want any of it. She couldn't stand any of it – the attention and the sympathy.

No one could help her anyway.

No one was going to bring back her dead sister. How was anyone going to change the fact that she was an only child now? How was an apology going to make everything better?

No one knew how to help her.

"Eleanor!"

Wincing, she turned around to see Liam running over to her. "Hey..." He took a moment to catch his breath and then Eleanor flinched when he gave her that _exact_look of sympathy. "Are you okay? Have you talked to your family or-"

Eleanor let her bag fall on the floor. "I don't need to be reminded, okay? I'm trying to deal by myself and everyone keeps talking to me and I don't want them to!"

Turning on her heel, she quickly fled around another corner. She couldn't listen to Liam's "it happens to everyone" speech. She knew exactly what he was going to say and it wasn't going to make her feel any better.

Throwing her bookbag across the corridor, Eleanor stopped in her tracks and clenched her fists so tight she could feel her nails digging into her skin.

She couldn't deal with this. Ivy wasn't supposed to _die._ She was supposed to live. She was only nineteen and she was supposed to get married and they made a pact that they would be maid-of-honor in each other's weddings and if she wasn't here...

Eleanor made it a couple steps to where her bookbag was sitting before she fell against the wall, hiding her head in her hands.

Ivy didn't exist anymore.

She didn't have a sister.

She was alone.

She had no one left.

Her chest was too tight, her throat was dry and she was struggling to breathe. And tears were beginning to blur her vision. _Tears_.

She wasn't just crying; she was sobbing.

This wasn't supposed to happen to her. This wasn't supposed to happen to anyone. Who was this wizard who was killing everyone? Who were these people following him and carrying out his awful demands? How could anyone do anything like this?

Hugging her knees to her chest, Eleanor tried to disappear into the wall.

The bell rang for class but Eleanor ignored it for the first time in her life. She barely heard the footsteps of students passing by her as if she wasn't even there.

Refusing to open her eyes, she listened for everyone to leave, hoping no one could see her tears. Suddenly, she felt the presence of someone next to her and without even a word, she knew who it was. Immediately, she latched onto the warmth and didn't even try to hold it in as she sobbed into his shoulder.

How was she going to go to the funeral? How was she going to get through this? She couldn't do this alone.

"Liam..." Eleanor whispered softly. He 'mmm'ed in response and she continued, "Can you come with me to the funeral? Please?"

She didn't see his answer but felt the downward motion of his head. Choking back her tears, she brushed the salty water off of her cheeks. "Thank you."

They didn't say anything after that, just sat in a comforting silence. After a couple minutes, Eleanor unsteadily got to her feet and mumbled, "We have to get to class. I can't miss Transfiguration."

Before Liam could nod in response, Eleanor pulled him into a hug, mumbling a thousand thank yous into his cloak.

"It'll be okay..."

And all it took was those three words and she immediately believed him.

* * *

A lot of people wanted me to change the plot of NSMW so this wouldn't happen, but it happened, and here's the chapter that accompanies it. The next chapter is the funeral.

Thanks Nathpollen because her = Paige Railstone level of awesomeness. (Look Paige Railstone up, guys!)

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you liked the...really sad chapter.


	12. The Funeral

It must have been the hundredth time he said it that day, but he couldn't stop the question in time.

However, she didn't seem to hear his "are you okay" and instead, continued to stare forward. Liam looked in her direction, watching as people bustled about, ignoring the two standing in the doorway. No one had spoken to them yet and Liam was slightly relieved. He had no clue what to say to a grieving family. He knew how to talk to Eleanor, but how could he handle her family in a time like this?

Eleanor suddenly tightened her grip on his hand and he looked up to see someone hurrying over to them.

"Oh, Eleanor dear, how are you feeling?" The woman paid no attention to Liam as she grabbed the back of Eleanor's head, bringing it to her shoulder in a sympathetic gesture. Liam could visibly see Eleanor tense up and knew she was silently pleading for this to end.

"Fine," she mumbled, her voice barely audible.

"Come on, sweetie, let's get you dressed." Ignoring Liam altogether, the woman suddenly pulled Eleanor away. Eleanor tried to keep hold of Liam's hand but the woman was insistent, so her efforts were futile.

Liam tried to give her a reassuring smile as she looked back, but it was more of a grimace. He couldn't smile even if he had wanted to.

Stepping back, Liam flattened himself against the wall, moving out of the way. After a long fifteen minutes, he looked to the right and caught a glimpse of Eleanor's mother carrying a box down the staircase. Her eyes were visibly red and he could see her stumbling down the stairs.

Liam quickly made his way across the room and, as soon as she was in reach, leaned forward to grab the box, fearing that she might drop it. Startled, Eleanor's mother jumped and let go of the box.

Even though he tried to keep it steady, the contents jostled and fell out of the box and onto the stairs.

"I'm sorry!" Liam immediately started apologizing, his heart thudding madly at the awful and embarrassing situation he had just gotten himself into.

Eleanor's mother shook her head slowly, but said nothing. Liam bent down, reaching for the closest item that was facing down onto the wood flooring. When he turned it over, Eleanor's sister, Ivy was smiling back at him and waving.

Wincing, he realized what he had just done.

"What are you doing?!" a frantic, male voice sounded behind him. Liam turned away to see Eleanor's father steadily approaching him with a murderous look on his face.

Liam immediately scrambled to his feet, placing the picture in Eleanor's mother's hands. "Nothing, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to – I didn't know, I was trying to help, _sorry_."

But Eleanor's father continued to glare at him. He had every right to; Liam had just dropped their last memories of Ivy. He was so _stupid _for letting them fall like that.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Eleanor's father started shouting at him, turning slightly red in the face.

Liam struggled to take in a breath. "Um – I was-" He couldn't even think anymore. "I came here-"

"Daddy!" With a breath of relief, he saw Eleanor walking over to them. She looked at the group in front of her for a few seconds and then reached out to grab Liam's hand. He took it without ever tearing his gaze away from her father and then followed her out of the house.

As soon as they left, Liam didn't hesitate to begin apologizing. "They hate me; I'm sorry."

She only shook her head at him and pulled him along.

-x-

It started off normally with a quiet gathering outside, everyone staring straight ahead at the person who was speaking. Some people had their heads bowed, trying to hide their silent tears.

To his surprise, even Professor Dumbledore had shown up to say a few words. Liam didn't think that the headmaster knew Ivy that well, but then again he wasn't sure.

In fact, Liam didn't know much about the private procession at all. It was closed to only family and close friends and everyone was quiet about any details. Only Professor Dumbledore said anything about Ivy's death and it was vague; there was something about an attack, of course. But, as Liam understood it, it was slightly more serious.

When Ivy's mother stood up in front, wiping her tears and trying to remember what she was going to say, Liam felt Eleanor move next to him. Turning slightly, he saw her shift to bring her knees up to her body.

The only time she ever did this was when she was trying to disappear.

Instead of turning back to the speaker, he kept his eyes on Eleanor, watching as she looked down at the ground, hiding her face.

He wasn't used to her acting like this. He thought she wouldn't let herself show emotion during the funeral, but instead, she was crying and was trying unsuccessfully to hide it.

Biting back another "are you okay," Liam leaned forward to get a glimpse of her face. At the same moment, she glanced up and caught him staring at her.

She stared for a few seconds and then looked away again, shivering into her cloak.

Never taking his eyes off of her, Liam payed little attention to the rest of the service. He could hear people speaking but the words didn't process as he focused all of his concern on Eleanor. She never glanced back at him, but as the last person went up the speak, she turned into him, clutching at his cloak with her hands and burying her face in his shoulder.

He only knew the service was over when everyone was walking in front of them on their way out. Eleanor was now sobbing in his shoulder and he had no clue what to say to her. Looking away, he saw a group of people standing in front, next to the coffin.

He had heard from Eleanor that it was going to be an open coffin, but he couldn't see past everyone. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see anyway; he had a fear of dead bodies.

Liam noticed Eleanor's parents watching them closely and he briefly wondered if they were planning to interrupt. They probably hated him now after the incident on the staircase, but they weren't going to say anything today.

"Liam..." Eleanor suddenly said, her voice muffled. He looked down, but didn't have to respond before she continued, "Can – can you tell me when they close the – when I can't see – I don't want to see her."

Liam watched as people walked by, viewing the coffin and offering their condolences to the family. The last people to leave were Ivy's friends including the Marauders from school. Liam had always seen them with grins on their faces at Hogwarts, but now it was completely different, there was only pain and sadness.

Sirius stayed even after everyone left, his palms supporting his weight as he leaned over the casket. Liam couldn't hear what he was saying from where he was, but almost felt as though he was intruding on a private moment.

Finally, someone in dark robes came up and, after a few words to Sirius, shut the coffin.

"It's okay now," Liam told Eleanor and she moved back, looking up at him.

After a long pause, she softly said, "No, it will never be okay again."

Liam wanted to tell her that she was wrong, but his common sense told him otherwise. He had a sinking feeling that from now on it was only going to get worse.

* * *

It's a bit short and vague, but I wanted to concentrate more on the funeral when I write Suddenly I See, so this is just a GLIMPSE.

Thanks Nathpollen for editing!

Sneak peek from a later chapter?

_"According to that..." Eleanor ran her finger down the list, "I am sullen, depressed, and suffering from angst." She looked up at Liam with the corners of her mouth turned upward. "I must really hate your gift."_

What is this "gift?" Will Eleanor's parents forever hate Liam? What is going to happen next? Why am I asking questions?

Thanks for reading!


	13. Better Friend

Only three days after the funeral, Eleanor received another letter from home. She hesitated before slowly opening it, wondering what her parents would tell her this time.

She had to read through it a couple times to finally comprehend the message and finally, after the third read-through, she folded it and put it back in its envelope.

Glancing over, she saw Liam focusing on a book rather than her. Hopefully, he hadn't noticed her post.

Her parents' words repeated in her head as she watched him and she couldn't help but let them slowly sink in. Maybe they were right.

Ignoring the sickening feeling in her stomach, Eleanor slowly got up from the table and muttered something about not feeling well to Liam. She should've known he wouldn't believe it.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked.

Eleanor didn't know how to respond. "I'm – I just have bit of a headache," she lied, taking deep breath to calm her racing heart. "I need to lie down."

Liam watched her carefully and she hoped he wasn't catching onto the fact that she was lying. "Feel better," he finally said after a long pause.

It was evident he was only giving in because of recent events. She had told him not to talk about it, but that didn't stop him from following her around ever since the funeral and watching her every move as if she was going to break down again.

Eleanor couldn't afford to break down.

Besides, Liam deserved to have fun, instead of only paying attention to her boring self. She didn't want him to miss out on anything because he spent all his time with her.

After a long walk back up to the common room, Eleanor gently sat down on her four-poster and took out the letter again.

It was almost as bad as the letter informing her of Ivy's death. However, this one was more personal and it made her want to curl up with a book and hide under her covers for the rest of her life.

First, her sister and now _this_.

Rereading the message again, Eleanor realized that her parents did make a good point. In fact, they were right; he didn't – _shouldn't _have to do this.

Eleanor sighed, lying down on her bed and staring up at the blue ceiling.

She would have to tell him.

-x-

After spending her entire Saturday locked up in her dormitory, Eleanor forced herself out of her bed to find Liam. She met Suzanne halfway down the staircase.

"Hello, Suzanne-" she started to say, but Suzanne cut her off with a sigh.

"Go find Liam," she exclaimed, turning away. "He's been wondering how you're doing." Walking away, Eleanor could have sworn she heard Suzanne mutter "incessantly."

Eleanor made her way down the corridor and soon, found herself in front of the library doors. He was easy to find since he was only sitting behind a bookshelf in the front row.

She was only a few meters from him when he looked up. "Are you-" he began to ask the familiar question, but the words Eleanor had been practicing all day spilled out before she could stop them.

"I think it would be beneficial for us to take a break from each other," she exclaimed in one breath. She had tortured herself over how to tell him, and she chose to repeat the wording from the letter.

Eleanor watched as Liam just stared back at her in confusion. "What?"  Taking in another breath, Eleanor forced herself to continue, "I mean, it's not fair that you have to go around attending to me all day. I just bring you down anyway and it's not like you can't find other friends; you can, so maybe we should find other people who are more in tune with what we like. Because I'm not a good friend for you. I'm not...the best choice for a friend." She didn't understand half of what she was saying, but it was all she could think of.

Liam was now staring at her with a slightly opened mouth and his eyebrows were pulled together as if he was thinking really hard about something.

"Why?"

Eleanor nervously played with the envelope in her cloak pocket as she tried to come up with more of an explanation. "You deserve a better friend."

He gazed at her for the long time and Eleanor began to fidget under his stare. "But – you're my best friend."

Wincing, Eleanor forced herself to keep looking at him. "With everything that's happened lately, I don't want you to continue to waste all of your energy on me."

She watched him carefully, taking in the way his expression stayed blank. If he was hurting, he was doing a great job hiding it from her. Suddenly, he looked away. "What do you have in your pocket?"

Her hand tightened around the note. "Nothing," she quickly answered.

He shook his head. "No, you keep pulling at something in your pocket when you talk."

The look on Liam's face and the way he reached for the letter told Eleanor that he knew it was something that concerned him, so she reached in and pulled out the envelope, holding it out for him to take.

To her surprise, Liam began reading it out loud. "Dear Eleanor, I hope you are doing well. I hope that you aren't allowing let your grades suffer because of the incident. We all know Ivy wouldn't have liked that; she valued intellect. Your mother has been doing fine; however, she's been worrying about you. Ever since the funeral, she's been worrying about losing you too. She wants to keep her little angel. Your mother believes that the boy from the funeral is trying to steal you away. I think it would be beneficial for your mother's health and the family if you took a break from that boy. It was kind of him to accompany you to the service, but it would be for the best if you found different friends. Your mother thinks the girls in your dorm would be perfect to invite over during the summer. Good luck with the rest of your year!"

Liam finally looked up from the letter, locking eyes with Eleanor. He shrugged, handing her back the letter. "I told you they hated me."

"Maybe they're right," Eleanor exclaimed, watching as Liam's eyes visibly widened.

"You _believe _them?" he asked. "You're going to let them tell us not to be friends because I'm taking you away from them?"

Eleanor flinched at Liam's tone. He wasn't yelling, but it was the closest he'd ever been. "You're not," she said. "I just don't want to hold you back."

He blinked. "From what?"

"Everything."

Liam slowly shook his head. "No, you're not. I like having you as a friend. You're nice and I think you're loads of fun. I don't want to stop being your friend. Who am I going to sit with during class?"

Eleanor shrugged, falling into a silence.

"And I want to sit with you because I don't know anyone else that is as totally awesome as you," Liam added suddenly, catching Eleanor off guard.

Eleanor took a moment to reply. "What am I supposed to do? I can't lie to them."

There was another long pause and Eleanor looked away briefly to see Suzanne walking into the library. Turning back to Liam, she saw he was looking in the same direction.

Without even saying a word, they ushered Suzanne over and began working together to write a response.

_Dad and Mum,_

_I'm doing fine here. Everything is great and classes are going well._

_I've made friends with a girl in my dormitory named Suzanne. She wants to come over during the break; is that okay with you? We want to go out for my birthday, maybe somewhere like Diagon Alley. Hopefully, it won't rain this year._

_Hope you are all doing well._

_Love, Eleanor_

_

* * *

_Thanks to Nathpollen!

So, I'm at college, and I hope the updates won't stop. I'm going to try to write today, since I won a Twitter contest yesterday and said that if I won, I'd write.

And yes, there's A Very Potter Musical reference in here. I know it doesn't seem correct with the time period, but I researched and made sure I could use it! (Don't freak out Nathpollen, I did my homework!)

Thanks for reading!


	14. Grey Mood

Slowly, Liam leaned forward and, inching his head out around the corner, caught a glimpse of what was happening across the street. Placing himself back against the wall, he adjusted his glasses and peered through his secret spy mirror attached to his lenses to watch.

When Eleanor told Liam he was going to have to be sneaky around her parents, she mostly likely had no clue the lengths Liam would go. For him, this was the perfect opportunity to break out that old spy kit, wear dark colors, hide in the shadows, and be a secret ninja.

Watching closely, Liam saw Eleanor trying to usher her parents out of Florean Fortescue's while Suzanne stood next to her. Her parents were smiling, gesturing toward Suzanne with an enthusiasm that Liam would never receive. They couldn't even know he was here.

His eyes were going slightly cross-eyed as he tried to concentrate on only the mirror part of the glasses and Liam pushed himself off the wall to peer around the corner again. This time, he hesitated, watching the interaction for a couple seconds.

Eleanor was smiling brightly, though Liam immediately recognized it as fake, because she was trying her best to push her parents down the road. After more goodbyes and promises, it looked like they were about to leave.

Liam slowly moved out of the shadows, all the while playing a dramatic theme song in his head, and moved down the alley, closer to the action. Eleanor's parents were out of hearing range and he waited so he could keep it that way.

Since Eleanor was facing in his direction, she eventually locked eyes with him and subtly gestured to indicate that he could make his way toward the shop.

"We'll be fine. Don't worry about leaving me here for the day. Mr. Fortescue has protective spells around his entire store and I doubt anything would happen. Mum wants a new book anyway and I don't want to have you wait," he heard her saying and then, finally, they were walking down the opposite way and disappearing around the corner.

With a sigh, Eleanor turned around as Liam quickly made his way over. As he got closer, she gave him a puzzled look. "What is on your head? You look ridiculous." Liam reached up and, with an excited grin, held out the pair of glasses. "Here, you've gotta see these. They're awesome."

He put them on her and she just stood there, staring straight ahead at him. Suzanne started waving behind her, obviously trying to see if Eleanor could see her. "Interesting," she exclaimed, taking them off. "We probably don't have that long, so..."

"Oh, yeah, okay," Liam hurriedly said, folding them up and putting them back in his pocket.

They took a seat at a circular table right outside the front door of the shop. Liam could see the owner watching them carefully and, even though it was for safety reasons, he still felt a bit unnerved.

"Happy birthday!" Liam exclaimed, grinning at Eleanor. Suzanne repeated it after him and Eleanor muttered her quick, soft thanks.

"How was your summer?" he continued, gesturing toward both the girls. He didn't want Suzanne to feel left out or feel as though they only invited her so Liam could show up; that'd be an awful scenario.

"I stayed with my family in an Italian villa for two weeks," Suzanne answered first. "It was just a short vacation before...you know..." She didn't have to finish to have Liam know she was talking about him.

Eleanor paused, taking her time before saying, "We haven't really done anything. I've been sending for books lately to pass my time."

Liam nodded, noticing Mr. Fortescue ready to take their orders. They quickly got their treats and lapsed into silence as they ate. Liam noticed Eleanor watching him over her bowl.

Quirking his eyebrow at her, she put down her spoon and said, "So, what did you do? You never said."

He should've expected that question, but it still made him wince and almost drop his ice cream in his lap. Leaning forward, he put his spoon down and shrugged. "Nothing much. My brother got this new girlfriend he keeps bringing over. She's actually quite nice and chastises Sean when he tries to bully me." He took in a deep breath before muttering, "And Siobhan won't leave me alone; she thinks we're a couple."

Eleanor rose an eyebrow at him. Suzanne snickered. "Who's Siobhan?" Eleanor asked.

Liam rolled his eyes. "You know, the girl who keeps trying to kiss me, remember, I told you about her awhile ago."

With a curt nod, Eleanor asked, "Oh, her. Don't you dislike her or something?"

"I can't help it!" Liam sighed, resting his hand on his head. Even the thought of her... "She forces me into things! Tackles me and pins me to the ground."

Eleanor and Suzanne shared a look that made Liam frown. "And I take it she succeeded by the way you're snappy today."

With a frustrated sigh, Liam let his head hit the table. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Anyway," he heard Suzanne suddenly say. "Time for presents. Here's mine."

Looking up, he saw Suzanne hand Eleanor something wrapped with green polka-dotted paper. Eleanor unwrapped it in her usual way, making sure she didn't rip any of the paper. Inside was a small navy trinket box which little flower details on the cover.

"It's for anything small really. I thought it was cute," Suzanne told her as Eleanor held it up.

"I really like it. Thanks," Eleanor said honestly.

Fishing around in his pocket, Liam finally pulled out a small package, only the size of a chess piece. "Happy birthday!" Holding out the gift, he watched Eleanor eye it curiously before taking it. It wasn't wrapped in any paper and she took a moment to find the opening side. Pulling out a flap, a small ring fell onto the table.

"Do you have any of these in the wizarding world?" Liam asked before she said anything. He didn't know how she was going to react and felt as though he needed to explain himself. "They're really popular with muggles. It's a mood ring; you put it on and it tells you what mood you're in by the color it is! There's probably a better wizarding version, but I thought it would be a cool gift and do you hate it?"

Eleanor took a moment to look at it and then glanced up at Liam. "We don't have anything like this. It's so simple; you'd think we would."

Liam could tell she was impressed by her tone. He couldn't help but grin as she put it on, twisting it around her finger. "There's a guide in the box saying what each color means," he remembered to inform her.

Both he and Suzanne moved their chairs as Eleanor unfolded the guide, holding out her hand and reading the list in front of her.

"It's gray," Suzanne proclaimed.

"According to that..." Eleanor ran her finger down the list, "I am sullen, depressed, and suffering from angst." She looked up at Liam with the corners of her mouth turned upward. "I must really hate your gift."

He narrowed his eyes at her comment. "It's muggle-made; what do you expect?" he tried to redeem himself.

She chuckled, looking back down at the ring on her hand. "Definitely dark gray."

Well, at least he got her to laugh.

* * *

A short, adorable chapter...as per usual. Yay.

This site hated me for the past couple days and I couldn't post. Blah. Thanks to Nathpollen for editing as always. She's awesomeeee.

If you need something good to read, check out Inevitable by AkieriN. She's pretty much amazing and so is seleneswan, who's co-writing it with her.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. (GLEE STARTS ON WEDNESDAY AND I'M SO EXCITED. OK, BAI.)


	15. Unlikely Visitor

The beginning of third year went by quickly, filled with numerous assignments, extra work and no hogsmeade trips, even though this was supposed to be their first year. All extra activities outside of the castle were closely monitored and the students were beginning to grow antsy.

Eleanor didn't mind the changes as much as her classmates. She knew the consequences and she didn't want any more people that she cared about to be hurt. As long as everyone was safe, she was happy.

Liam, on the other hand, was frustrated. Eleanor could tell that every time they went to study, Liam longed to be outside and surrounded by fresh air. She often had to correct him on his essays, as his mind was as far as it could be from subjects like Potions.

Eleanor was surprised to wake up one morning and find there were only three days left until winter break. She had no clue where the past couple months had went.

Sitting in an armchair in the common room, Eleanor patiently waited to leave for breakfast. It took Liam an extra ten minutes to show up in the common room and when he finally arrived he was dragging his feet across the floor.

"Liam, we're going to miss breakfast," Eleanor said while he crossed the room.

He barely even looked over at her. "I want to go _outsiiiide_," she heard him whine and Eleanor couldn't help but roll her eyes at his comment.

"Stop being such a baby-"

He looked up at her with a deep frown. "But it _snowed _last night and it's_ good _snow for once. Can't we just-"

"No," Eleanor interrupted him. "It's against the rules. Besides, winter break is only three days away. You get to leave the castle then." She ignored the way Liam stomped his feet like a little child and led the way out of the common room. He followed slowly, lagging behind a couple meters.

"Honestly, it's not that bad," Eleanor said without looking back at him. "Professor Dumbledore imposed these rules for a good reason, Liam. We don't want anything to happen to the students, and I'm perfectly fine-"

Eleanor immediately stopped mid-word when her hand was pulled backward, causing her to stumble.

"Oh, look here, orange," he exclaimed, "Which means, _what_ exactly?"

She didn't even dare to look at his expression. "On edge, nervous, sometimes impatient," she replied with a knowing sigh.

Wrenching her hand away, she continued down the staircase. "Maybe I'm just on edge, not impatient, per say and-"

This time when she stopped, it wasn't because of Liam. In front of her was Professor Dumbledore, and he was looking right at her.

"Miss Bennett," he called out and her heart jumped, knowing this couldn't be good.

What could have happened now?

"Come with me." She barely glanced at Liam before the Headmaster added, "You can bring Mr. Pritchard along if you wish."

Eleanor took in a deep breath before following Professor Dumbledore down the corridor. Her heart was beating wildly at all of the horrible scenarios running through her mind. The Headmaster never personally talked to anyone; how bad was the news? What if it was her whole family? What if she was an orphan now? Where would she live? Everyone she loved was dying – she couldn't -

"It's not what you think, Miss Bennett." Professor Dumbledore peered at her with a knowing smile. "I think you'll be quite surprised."

Letting out a shuddering breath, Eleanor didn't know whether to be relieved or not. She didn't like surprises much; she couldn't take the anticipation and the waiting. Finally, they turned down a corridor on the seventh floor that led toward a statue of a gargoyle, and Eleanor immediately figured out where they were going.

"Peppermint toads," the Headmaster said, as they reached the statue and it promptly leapt to the side. A staircase appeared and Eleanor and Liam hurried to follow Dumbledore up the steps.

Eleanor found it hard to breathe as the moving stairs got closer and closer to the door at the top. It wasn't going to turn out well, Eleanor knew it. Why did this have to happen to her? It hadn't even been a year since Ivy-

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her hand and knew Liam was trying to get her to calm down. But he should've known that physical contact wasn't going to help her calm down. She knew _something _was waiting for her at the top of the staircase and it was only a matter of seconds before everything changed _again._

An oak door was suddenly in front of her and the Headmaster was opening it. Eleanor took in a deep breath and took a step inside.

She froze as soon as she caught sight of the person in front of her.

"_Sirius?_" she finally managed to articulate, hurriedly dropping Liam's hand to make her way over in disbelief. She _never _thought she'd see Sirius Black again, especially since the last time she had seen him was at the funeral...

He managed a smile. "Hey, Eleanor."

Turning around to look at Professor Dumbledore, Eleanor tried to make sense of the situation. There was no reason for Sirius to come talk to her now that Ivy was gone. Instead of explaining everything to her, Dumbledore was busying himself with his phoenix, so Eleanor glanced back at Sirius.

"How have you been?" he asked her.

She took awhile to respond. "Fine. How are you?"

His smile was more forced now, not as bright and charming as it once was. "I'm okay." There was an awkward pause and Eleanor tried not to break eye contact as they continued to stare at each other. He was certainly different – darkened eyes, worry lines, exhaustion in his posture. "I have a favor to ask of you," Sirius finally said.

Eleanor immediately nodded, knowing her quick reaction probably surprised everyone in the room.

"I haven't been to Ivy's flat yet and I was wondering if you'd like to help me-" His words were smooth, as if they were rehearsed. Eleanor wondered how long it took Sirius to actually come here and ask.

"Yes," she interrupted him.

She could see his eyebrows rise a little in surprise. "I can pick you up at the station if it's fine with your-"

"I'll owl them today,"she cut him off yet again.

Sirius merely nodded and then his gaze turned away to something behind her. "You're still friends with Lancelot there?"  Eleanor smiled at the thought of Liam's scowl. She nodded her response and heard Liam mutter "_Liam_" in a way she hadn't heard for two years.

"You know what? Bring him too," he told her.

She hastened to say an "absolutely" before Liam could refuse and succeeded at drowning out Liam's protests.

-x-

The flat hadn't changed at all; it was probably exactly as Ivy had left it. Since Aunt Denise was paying for the rent, no one bothered to check on the residence. It had been almost a whole year since anyone had walked inside, and Eleanor could see Sirius hesitate before finally crossing the threshold.

He must have really loved her if it took him this long to recover.

Eleanor immediately went over to the bookshelf and began sorting through the books while Liam awkwardly walked around behind her, probably afraid to touch anything. Sirius disappeared into the bedroom and they worked in silence for the next half hour. Finally Eleanor felt as if she had to say something, _anything _to break the monotone.

"How is everyone?" she asked, raising her voice so Sirius could hear her.

"Good," she heard in response. "James and Lily just found out they're expecting their first child last week."

It seemed like just yesterday they were graduating from Hogwarts. "Tell them congratulations then," she said, not knowing how else to respond.

Another awkward silence fell on them, and Eleanor stared intently at the book collection in front of her, making sure everything was alphabetized. Turning around, she found Liam just standing behind her, teetering on his toes.

"I don't know what to do," he mouthed when he caught her staring.

Eleanor brought out a stack of newspaper from the back of the shelf and handed it over. Liam sighed, sitting down next to her and began sorting through the dates.

It only took another half an hour to finish and, after sitting on the couch for a couple minutes, Eleanor watched as Liam wandered over the bedroom door. Scrambling out of her seat, she made a move to pull him back, but she was too late. Looking up, she found Sirius sitting on the bed, a book laying open in front of him. Sirius moved to turn the page and Eleanor winced as he caught sight of them in the doorway.

"Sorry," Eleanor went to apologize, but Sirius shook his head slowly, fumbling to close the book.

"Come here," he said instead and, after exchanging a confused look with Liam, Eleanor followed him in.

The bedroom was tidy – the bed was made, floor clean, and even the closet was organized. As Eleanor studied the room, she felt something being put into her hands. Glancing down, she immediately recognized the object.

"This is her journal," she said out loud.

Sirius nodded slowly. "I have an idea," he proclaimed after a pause. "I don't know if she _wanted _the world to see it...but what do you think about publishing?"

Eleanor blinked. "The book?" Another careful nod. "Is it finished?"

"I-" Sirius looked toward the journal for a second before meeting Eleanor's eyes again. "I thought I would finish it...you know, for her."

Eleanor analyzed his worried expression as he waited for her opinion. His whole demeanor was different from the Sirius she knew back in Hogwarts and there was a somberness about it, that Eleanor knew was caused by her sister's death.

"She would have loved it," Eleanor finally said. And she meant it; nothing could have meant more to Ivy.

* * *

Thanks to Nathpollen again because she edited this chapter like crazy.

And thanks to all of you who are reading and reviewing. All the nice comments are wonderful to read!

DID ANYONE WATCH GLEE LAST NIGHT? Still torn up about it. _Still_.


	16. Divination Class

It was Monday, and Liam was stuck suffering through another Divination class, wondering why Eleanor had pressured him into taking the class with her. It sounded interesting at first and quite easy, but even though he only had eight more weeks until summer break, Liam couldn't wait to end this year just because of Divination. He couldn't believe he'd have to endure another two years of this torture.

Even Eleanor wasn't paying attention as Professor Olim rambled on about the stars. Instead, she was staring outside the window, tapping her fingers against the textbook she hardly used. There was no point in opening the textbook if you couldn't find the answers inside.

There was a crystal ball in front of them and Liam stared blankly into it, watching the swirling mist. At first, he had been excited about the crystal balls, since it was one of those things kids dreamed about – telling fortunes and seeing things about the future. But he couldn't see a use for the prop, just annoying white mist.

"Search inside the crystal ball, see your future..." Liam could hear the Professor exclaiming over the chatter in the room. As much as he disliked the class, this activity was still his favorite.

Eleanor opened her textbook and scanned through the text with a complete lack of interest. "What do you see?" she deadpanned, gesturing over to Liam.

It was always like this: they would do the work, write down the correct answers (even if that wasn't what they _experienced_) and then wait for everyone else to finish as they talked about how there was no _logic _behind this class. Neither of them could understand a class where there was no _substance_.

Leaning forward, he intently stared into the crystal ball with a sigh. "Fog." Peering over at Eleanor, he then grinned and proclaimed, "I guess that means I'll be battling some deadly fog tonight to save my life from mortal peril."

Eleanor rolled her eyes at him, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "That's not something to joke about."

"Here, I'll show you." Pulling her textbook over to his side of the table, he found the section about foreseeing the future. "_To dream that you are going through a thick fog, symbolizes confusion, troubles, scandal, uncertainty and worries. You may not be seeing clearly; mortal peril is on its way._"

Eleanor grabbed the book, skimming the page quickly. "I can't believe-" she trailed off, her eyes wide. "The whole crystal ball is full of fog..."

Liam took in Eleanor's surprised expression and couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, come on, it's not serious. Look, the crystal ball is white and there's probably something in there about how white means there's a void or something and I'm going to die."

Eleanor looked at him and then quickly started flipping through the pages. "_The color white means there's a void and you're most likely to die._"

He blinked at her. "No way." Even though she was trying to hide her face behind the textbook, he could still see her smile. "You're lying!" And then she leaned back, taking the book with her to cover her face to stifle her laughter.

A grin broke out on Liam's face once he realized she was joking. It was rare for her, but after being stuck in this room for an hour, Liam wondered why they didn't break sooner. He just couldn't take a class like this seriously.

Through her laughter, Eleanor managed to add, "_The round shape of the crystal ball symbolizes a future planet, pulled in by the Earth's gravitational pull and causing your ultimately death_..."

Soon, they were both laughing, staring into the swirling mist of their crystal balls, going through the book and adding ridiculous predictions to their fortunes. Liam quickly adopted a deep, monotone voice to sound like Professor Olim, and they couldn't control their laughter.

"_This speck of dust is your untimely death," _Liam exclaimed in a hushed, excited voice. Eleanor watched him with a smile, a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Widening his eyes, Liam leaned forward dramatically and whispered,_ "It will attack your allergies one night-"_

"What do you see here? "  Liam jumped when Professor Olim's voice came from beside him, and turned with a hesitant smile. "Oh, um..." He stole a glance at Eleanor, who was looking at him with wide eyes, most likely afraid at getting caught not doing their work correctly. "I was just...there's something that looks like, the...Earth, and I think it means that...in the future, Eleanor will have a transcultural career."   Suddenly, the Professor was kneeling, face to face with the crystal face on the table. Liam awkwardly moved to the side, watching him nervously for an reaction.

"No, no, no." He slowly began shaking his head. "You have missed the vision of the lady in black. Great suffering is to come." He turned to look at Liam and Liam blinked at the sight of his face so close. "You have a strong aura; a different partner will surely benefit you since Miss Bennett seems to be withholding your potential."

Liam quickly shook his head, too afraid to even glance at Eleanor and see her reaction. "No, it's great working with her-"

But Professor Olim was already ushering him over to the table in the other corner. "Yes, a talented partner will be much better for your gift." Liam took a glance behind him at Eleanor who was still watching the whole display with wide eyes. He knew what she was thinking: how could she let this happen?

Suzanne, who was sitting with a Hufflepuff boy, was quickly moved out of her chair by the eager Professor. At least Eleanor would have a partner she knew, but Liam couldn't get rid of the sinking feeling in his chest. It was his fault, really. He shouldn't have made the joking comments in the first place.

With a slow sigh, Liam took Suzanne's previous seat and tried to smile at the boy across from him. The boy was short with curly, dark brown hair and glasses and Liam was sure he had never seen him before.

"Hi, I'm Liam Pritchard," he introduced himself. From this angle, he only had a slightly obstructed view of Eleanor and could see that she didn't look _that_ mad or depressed at the change of partners.

"Jared Miller." The Hufflepuff held out his hand to shake. "Probably the most common name here at Hogwarts."

Liam shrugged halfheartedly. "There's always John White."

An awkward silence fell on the pair, and Liam opened his textbook for something to do. He wished he had something to say, but it was Divination and he was already counting down the minutes until he could leave and talk to Eleanor again.

"I'm sorry I split you up from Eleanor," Jared suddenly exclaimed, causing Liam's attention to turn back to him.

"Oh, that's fine." But it wasn't.

"Is it strange not working with her?"

Liam barely heard Jared's question. He was trying to pay attention to Eleanor and Suzanne and find out what Eleanor was talking about. "No, it's okay."

"I mean, you're always together and all." Nodding slightly, Liam never took his eyes off of the far table. "She's your girlfriend, right?"

Liam quickly turned in his chair, catching Jared's curious gaze. "Wait – what?" Surely, he had heard wrong – _girl_friend?

Jared's eyebrows rose at Liam's immediate reaction. "I'm sorry if I'm prying into-"

"We're friends," Liam interrupted hastily, forgetting all about watching Eleanor. "We're not anything more."

"Oh." Jared looked almost ashamed, and Liam felt a rush of guilt for him. "I just thought – you're always together and it looks like it and you two are so _close_-"

Liam slowly shook his head. "Just friends."

"Oh..." Jared repeated slowly and then immediately looked away, probably trying to hide his embarrassment.

"It's okay," Liam fumbled over his words, hoping that he would say something to relieve the awkward situation. "I'm not offended or anything. Just a misunderstanding."

He never knew what to say to other people; he had gotten used to talking to Eleanor and recently, Suzanne. In primary school before Hogwarts, he had always strayed away from people since he was labeled as strange. It wasn't his fault he was magical; he had no clue about it then.

Jared was quietly staring into the crystal ball, avoiding Liam's gaze. Liam sighed, leaning forward to also stare into the pointless object.

"What do you see?" Jared muttered after an awkward pause.

Liam blinked a couple times, trying to see an object in the crystal ball. "Um...something kind of looks like...the goal posts in Quidditch."

He heard a loud shuffle and looked up to see Jared moving his chair to Liam's side excitedly. "Really? Where?"

"Uh..." Liam pointed to a spot in the middle of the swirling mist. "It sort of looks like three hoops..."

Jared nodded frantically, making Liam worry for his sanity. "I see it! That's so awesome."

"You...like Quidditch?" Liam asked, although he knew the answer.

The Hufflepuff was grinning widely. "Like it? I _love _it! I find it so exciting! I tried out last year for the Hufflepuff team, but I'm not good at actually playing. I love the sport though. My dad was on the Hufflepuff team too when he was here and my whole family is really into it!"

"I love watching too," Liam exclaimed, leaning forward excitedly. "I'm muggle-born, so my family doesn't even believe it exists and I always try to explain it to them and no one _gets _it."

After the long, awkward silence, the two boys couldn't help but get excited about having something to talk about. Besides, Liam never got to talk about Quidditch with Eleanor; she didn't enjoy it as much as he did. Jared shared his enthusiasm for the subject and they continued to talk about the sport all through the lesson, forgetting about the crystal ball in front of them.

"And the next game isn't until May!"  Liam nodded. "It seems like it's been forever. The last game was-"

"We will continue to broaden our minds!" Professor Olim suddenly interrupted them. Startled, Liam closed his mouth and quickly glanced up to see the professor waving his arms around. "Continue interpreting your dreams!"

Liam stood up, grabbing his bag and looked around to see Eleanor standing by the doorframe, staring over in his direction. He knew she was waiting for him.

Jared stopped beside him and suddenly exclaimed, "So, I guess I'll see you next class?"

"Yeah," Liam answered with a grin before walking over to Eleanor.

She quickly turned and Liam followed her down the stairs, feeling quite guilty. He wasn't sure why, but it was best to agree with her and not even try to argue. "You should feel horrible about what the professor said to me."

He nodded slowly. "I know, I know."  

"I was working very hard in that class."

"Sorry."

"And I think you should keep your new partner."

He stopped in his tracks. "What?" Was she _that _upset with him? It was a stupid mistake; now, she didn't even want to work with him anymore?

Eleanor shrugged, turning to face him. "You need to find friends of your own gender, Liam. You're becoming way too feminine-"

He gaped at her. "But – I have two brothers and I'm _not _feminine-"

"Trust me," Eleanor proclaimed. "It's for the best. You need a best mate anyways, and since I'm obviously not a male and don't share some your interests, I think it would be best for you to befriend that Hufflepuff."

"Are you _serious_?" She couldn't be – and he definitely wasn't _feminine_.

Eleanor nodded, taking a few steps down the corridor. "It would certainly be beneficial."

Shaking his head, Liam followed her. "_Seriously?_"

She only tilted her head slightly toward him and kept her gaze straight forward. "Why would I joke about this?"

"You called me _feminine!_"

She shrugged again and said, "Then we'd better make sure it doesn't get worse."

Liam scowled, but she was walking in front of him now, not even looking back. He knew there was no point arguing when Eleanor had her mind set on something.

* * *

Thanks Nathpollen for editing again!

So, here's the introduction of another character. I've heard he's a particularly good finder...

If you haven't been watching Glee, you should! I take a lot from that show and incorporate in this story. For awhile, I wanted to name the chapters after the songs, but not all of the song titles are two words. I'm still using a couple though. Not Push It though. Or...am I?

Haha, anyway, thanks for reading! (And watch Glee!)

* * *


	17. Left Alone

_Four people were critically injured in the attack on Sunday. They are currently receiving treatment at St. Mungo's and are expected to make a full recovery. There will-_

_------_

_Marlene McKinnon was killed yesterday in an attack by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers. She was against the acts of You-Know-Who and-_

_-----_

_A small muggle town was shaken this morning by the deaths of two shopkeepers. It is expected to be another attack from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Two wizards came to the scene and were only wounded in-_

_-----_

_Caradoc Dearborn has officially been pronounced dead. His body was never found-_

_-----_

_Family Tragedy_

_The Bones family was found murdered in their house late last night after someone spotted the Dark Mark above their house. Inside, Edgar, his wife, Charlotte and their two children, Eloise and Oliver were found to be hit by the Killing Curse after being tortured-_

Eleanor shut her eyes and put down the latest issue of the Daily Prophet with a sigh. She never could read on after a couple sentences; every time she froze, thinking about the people she knew that were fighting against You-Know-Who. Dorcas Meadowes – she was one of Ivy's friends and the other people wounded could be another person she knew.

Eleanor had a sickening feeling that Sirius could be in the middle of it.

It was the last Saturday in June before the end of the year. Even though she was trying to concentrate on her studies, Eleanor was becoming increasingly worried and paranoid. She couldn't even smile anymore without feeling guilty.

It didn't help that Liam seemed to take her words to heart and started spending more time with Jared. She was beginning to regret telling him to make new friends; she needed him here to tell her she was being stupid and overreacting.

Instead, he was gone during free hours, talking about Quidditch and other things she didn't understand with Jared. The only saw each other during classes and mealtimes, but then it was just a hello and how are you.

She had spent her extra time with Suzanne until the past week. Then last Sunday, Suzanne had disappeared too, and Eleanor didn't know what she was doing wrong. Why was she driving everyone away? It wasn't her fault she was too preoccupied with the upcoming end-of-the-year exams. She needed good marks.

Eleanor curled up in the armchair and tried to hide behind the newspaper. Maybe if she disappeared like everyone else, she would finally understand everything and she wouldn't have to deal with this anymore.

Checking the time, Eleanor found why it was so deserted in the common room: it was already twenty minutes into dinner. Slowly pushing herself up, she managed to start to make her way down to the Great Hall. After all, Liam was probably frantically worrying about her because she wasn't there.

However, when she scanned the Ravenclaw table, neither Liam nor Suzanne were anywhere to be found.

Turning around, Eleanor looked more closely at through the Hufflepuffs, just in case he went to eat dinner with Jared. But, after a long moment looking through all the familiar faces, she realized he wasn't there either.

She slowly sat down at the far end of the table and tried to get her mind of the fact that she was alone. It was just like her first few months at Hogwarts, only this time it felt worse because she had people she knew who had decided _not _to sit with her.

It was strange; Liam had never deserted her like this. Even if he was with Jared, he always made sure to say something to her and make her smile.

Eleanor could feel people watching her and had a feeling it was Marnie and the rest of her roommates. They were probably laughing, gossiping behind their hands and pointing at her misfortune. Eleanor tapped her fork against her plate rapidly, trying to get her mind off of the mental image.

But every murmur and word spoken around her made her throat slowly close up, and soon, she couldn't even breathe. It felt as though every eye in the room was on her, waiting to see her reaction to be left behind.

Taking in a slow, shaky breath, Eleanor managed to turn around in her seat and force herself to stand. Without even acknowledging the people watching her, she quickly made her exit from the Great Hall.

The corridor was empty as she continued her walk back up to the Ravenclaw tower. Even if Liam wasn't there, she couldn't care less at this point.

How could he just not show up for dinner? How could he forget about her? Wasn't he supposed to be her best friend? Jared was only _another_ friend, not someone to replace her and become his _new _best friend.

She had ruined it. She had ruined everything. It was inevitable from the beginning that this was going to happen, and just by an idiotic statement made after Divination class, Eleanor had lost everything she cared about. It was her fault.

Ignoring the tears that were now blurring her vision, Eleanor turned the corner and continued to walk as fast as she could to the common room. She couldn't take this now; not with the increasing attacks from You-Know-Who and all the death and destruction. She couldn't take another thing added to the list.

Suddenly, Eleanor felt someone grab her arm and stumbled backward into a dark classroom.

Her brain could barely function as she frantically reached for her wand; it was a Death Eater – it was one of them, those followers or maybe it was even _him..._

"Oh, sorry, did I scare you?"

Eleanor released her wand and blinked, getting rid of the tears in her eyes. She could recognize that apology from anywhere.

"Liam?"

She didn't get an answer, instead a tug on her hand. When she didn't move, she felt him turn around. "Come on," he said, "I have something to show you."

Because it was Liam, she didn't hesitate to follow him as he led her across the room, a few steps before stopping at the other side.

"Now, close your eyes and turn around," he exclaimed and she stopped to look more closely at him. It was only an outline she could see, but it was enough.

"I can barely see anyway. What are you doing?" She wasn't one for fun and games, especially _now_. She bit back her next response which would have been telling him how stupid the whole thing was, and with a loud sigh, closed her eyes.

How much she just wanted to be curled up in bed with a book right now.

"Okay," she heard Liam say slowly. "Now, open!"

With a shrug, Eleanor opened her eyes. In front of her, she saw Liam gesturing to something on the table in front of her, with Jared and Suzanne standing behind it, both wearing ridiculous grins. Raising an eyebrow at the craziness in front of her, Eleanor looked more closely at the object.

It was a cake.

"What-" Eleanor began to say, trailing off as she read the writing on the top.

'_Happy Very Early Birthday, Eleanor!!!' _

"It's – why?" she faltered again, looking up at Liam.

He grinned brightly at her. "Well, lately, you've been distant and withdrawn-" She was about to open her mouth to argue, but found she didn't have a valid complaint. He was right, like always. "And what's better than cake to cheer you up? It's chocolate – Suzanne told me you liked to eat chocolate after hours in your dormitory – and I thought you'd like it. You like it, right?"

Eleanor stared down at the cake and then back up at Liam, trying to process her thoughts. "You – where did you even – I don't understand-"

"We went down to the kitchens!" Jared exclaimed. "I knew how to get there from my sister and the house elves helped us put your name on it and everything. They were very nice!"

Eleanor blinked a couple more times. "Why is it a birthday cake?"

Liam shrugged slightly. "We probably won't get to see each other this summer since Diagon Alley is closed down because of You-Know-Who. I thought about having you over but you don't want to deal with my brothers and I can't go see you because your parents probably never want to see my face ever again. I didn't want to miss your birthday though, so I got you a cake."

Biting her lip, Eleanor couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Liam immediately continued, "I'm sorry if you hate it. I just didn't have any other ideas and I wanted to go to Hogsmeade but it's closed and…you hate it, right?"

Eleanor could see Suzanne and Jared share a glance out of the corner of her eye, as if they were second guessing the whole thing. Liam was watching her carefully, the grin on his face replaced with a worried frown.

"I can just take it back to the kitchens-" Liam started to babble. "It's no problem and-"

Not even letting him finish his sentence, Eleanor interrupted by suddenly wrapping her arms around him, breathing out a rushed "thank you so much."

It took a few seconds before his answer of "you're welcome." Tightening her grip, Eleanor was never gladder she was wrong about something; she couldn't even imagine losing a friend like Liam.

* * *

I'm giving my beta a break (Nathpollen, you really deserve it; you're really busy) and had Ramenette edit this chapter. You should read her stories; she's pretty awesome.

So, going back to Liam and Eleanor's story. They are pretty adorable. There will be some drama coming up - Eleanor may get a...love...interest. Soon. And Liam may get a...stalker. Dun dun dun. SPECULATION, GO.

Thanks for reading. You're all awesome!


	18. An Admirer

As if by some miracle, instead of the awful summer he was dreading, Liam actually found ways to enjoy his break. Even though he was apart from Eleanor and Siobhan was just down the road, he found ways to busy himself, mostly with books and games. And he didn't even have to deal with his brothers. Sean's girlfriend, Lindsay, scolded Sean and Conner any time they got close to Liam. He managed not to get teased even _once_.

The war was still growing exponentially, but in Ireland, it seemed far away and Liam could feel secure in the safety of his home. Though, it didn't stop him from being worried about Eleanor; he sent her at least three letters a week, asking if she was okay and begging for updates about her life. She sent back responses, insisting that she was fine, and that he shouldn't continue worrying about her since it was bad for his health. Of course, that didn't stop him.

When he finally saw her again, boarding the train at King's Cross, he smiled and breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Elean-"

And then he spotted her parents and he quickly closed his mouth, moving behind a pillar. They didn't seem to notice him, and continued talking to Eleanor as slowly backed up toward the train. After exchanging the longest goodbyes Liam had ever seen, her parents disappeared back through the barrier.

He waited until she was on the train before following her at a distance, watching as she looked in the compartments. When she finally reached the end of the train, she turned around and noticed Liam following her.

"Looking for me?" he asked as soon as her eyes stopped on him.

She shrugged slightly. "No, Suzanne actually."

He could tell she was joking by the look on her face. "Great," he exclaimed with a dejected sigh. "I've been replaced."

Eleanor only rolled her eyes at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him down the aisle. She expected her to fall silent as she searched for their friends, but instead she turned toward him and tilted her head quizzically.

"Huh," she said slowly, looking up at him. "You've gotten taller."

Liam paused, trying to remember how much he grew over the summer; he knew it wasn't lot, after all, he was still shorter than his brothers. "Not that much," he finally replied.

She gave him her signature skeptical look, complete with that frown of hers, and said, "You're making me feel short."

He managed to stop myself from explaining that it was impossible to "feel" a height, and instead, teased, "That's your problem." He grinned at Eleanor's somewhat amused smile.

"You're very mean, Liam Pritchard," she said slowly, looking away back into the compartments. He didn't have time to defend himself before Eleanor found Suzanne and Jared waiting for them behind the next door.

"Hello," Eleanor greeted them and Liam mimicked her greeting as they took a seat across from each other by the door.

"So, how was your summer vacation?" Liam asked the other two. He had sent out a couple letters, but the replies were mostly filled with 'I'm fine. Doing nothing. You?'

"Good," Suzanne responded. "My family went to a vacation to Australia this year and I learned how to snorkel."

"Snorkel?" Jared asked, wrinkling his nose.

Just as Liam was about to answer the question, Eleanor spoke first. "It's the practice of swimming in some sort of body of water while wearing a diving mask called a snorkel and usually, swim fins. I hear it is quite a pleasurable experience; I've always wanted to try it."

Liam nodded and shrugged his shoulders, not having anything to add. As always, she was right. Jared then turned to Suzanne to ask her more about snorkeling and Eleanor pulled out a Jane Austen book to read. Sitting back, Liam realized he had brought nothing to occupy his time. Instead, he listened to Jared and Suzanne's conversation, occasionally adding a comment.

Suddenly, a pitchy, loud noise erupted from the other side of the door. Startled, Liam turned around to look out of the window on the door.

There was a sigh behind him and he heard Eleanor ask, "Is it Marnie? I don't want to deal with her before the start-of-the-year feast."

Slowly, Liam got to his feet and opened the door a bit to see outside. To his right was a group of Gryffindor girls, chatting animately to each other, occasionally bursting into a fit of giggles. Then, a girl with long black hair facing Liam caught his gaze and her eyes widened.

Liam blinked at her and, after standing there awkwardly for a few seconds, inched the door closed.

"What was it?" Jared asked.

"Um..." Liam stalled, looking behind him. "Some girls talking and laughing about something right by our door. I don't know what they were doing out there though." As soon as he was about to sit down, he saw the girls pass by their compartment, still giggling. The black-haired girl took a moment to look in, and then a friend ran up behind her and started pushing out of view, giggling the entire time.

Liam turned away from the door with an eyebrow raised in confusion and a bit of fear. "That was...strange."

Eleanor gave him a weird look before going back to her novel, Jared looked positively frightened at the situation, and Suzanne was laughing. "Why are you laughing?" he asked, crossing his arms defensively.

"You have an admirer," Suzanne answered simply, smiling at him.

Liam shook his head. "No, she was just-" But he didn't have an excuse. Siobhan had done the same thing – the giggling and staring and it was only a matter of time before the stalking began. Wincing, Liam sat back, trying to ignore the "I-told-you-so" looks Suzanne was giving him. He didn't need this again.

-x-

It took the dark haired girl three weeks to finally come up to him. For the first couple weeks of school, it was just staring and laughing with her friends with the occasional blush.

When he asked Eleanor about it, she only chuckled and said, "This is bound to be interesting."

Then, on the first day of their third week, the girl stopped to stand behind Liam at breakfast. Suzanne was pointing behind him with a grin on her face. Slowly, Liam turned in his seat to see the girl grinning widely at him.

"Hi, I'm Olivia!" She held out her hand as she bounced in place.

Liam hesitated before shaking her hand, barely moving it before retreating again. "Hi, I'm-"

"Liam Pritchard!" she interrupted him. "I know! Not that I'm – I don't stalk you or anything, but..." she trailed off, curling her hair around one of her fingers. "So, um, my friends dared me to say hi to you, so, hi and I'll see you around and – okay..." Before Liam could even blink in response, she had disappeared from his sight.

"Aw," Suzanne exclaimed as Liam turned back around to face them. "I think she's cute. Awkward, but cute."

Liam shook his head. "She's quite...interesting." Interesting was an understatement; actually, Olivia reminded him too much of Siobhan. At Hogwarts, he was supposed to be safe from crazy girls. He was supposed to spend his time with someone calm and reasonable like Eleanor, and not have to deal with the giggly types.

Eleanor 'hmm'ed next to him softly. "Truthfully, she seems frightening to me." Fighting a grin, Liam nodded beside her. "Probably writing in her diary proclaiming her love for Liam's September blue sky eyes, tousled chocolate brown hair and perfectly sculptured jawline."

"Wow," Liam managed to say after a long pause.

She shrugged, grabbing the book next to her and holding it up with a sigh. "I read too many romance novels. I know how to think like one."

Liam couldn't help but comment. "Useful."

"Very," Eleanor responded and by the way she sounded, Liam could have sworn she was being serious. He really hoped not.

* * *

This chapter was edited by le' parasol aka twocities on Twitter. She changes her penname too much. Anyway, yayyy. Claps for her!

I hope to update this story more often since Suddenly I See is ending. I only have a couple more chapters written however. I'll have to get on that.

Thanks for reading!

Oh, does anyone have an interesting poll ideas for my profile? The Liam/Eleanor one has been up for probably a year now...


	19. Being Fourteen

It was an early Sunday in the middle of February and Eleanor was sitting cross-legged on her four-poster, watching the door with an intense gaze. After waiting in the dormitory for over an hour, she finally gave up, leaving the Ravenclaw tower for the library. Liam and Jared were easy to find at a table in the back corner of the room, parchment and quills out as they worked on their assignments.

"Have you seen Suzanne?" Eleanor didn't hesitate to ask, taking a seat in the chair next to Liam.

Liam glanced up and gave her a half-heartened shrug. Jared took a moment to answer before he held out his quill at her, recognition passing over his face. "Oh, I saw her with someone."

"One of my roommates?" Eleanor asked, raising an eyebrow. Suzanne was supposed to be spending the day with _her _today, not one of her other roommates. They had actually planned this girls' night and Liam had planned the day with Jared around it.

"No," Jared answered slowly. "It was a guy."

A _guy_? Suzanne didn't have any male friends that Eleanor knew about. With an incredulous shake of the head, Eleanor sat back, tapping her fingers against the side of the chair impatiently.

"I guess I'll wait here until she comes back."

The boys didn't seem to care as they went back to their essays, leaving Eleanor to sit there. Just as she was pondering over what bookshelf to browse, she noticed Liam look her way and their eyes met. Eleanor gave Liam a puzzled look and he gave her an amused expression in return before turning back to his parchment. Then, when he caught her eye for the second time, Eleanor was ready with an eloquent response.

"How's Olivia?"

His expression dropped quickly and he deeply frowned at her, the light mood dissipated. "Still stalking me. I'm convinced she's behind one of those bookshelves, watching my every move."

Eleanor shook her head slowly. "Why is she stalking you anyway?" She didn't understand the motive; after all, the girl barely knew Liam and Eleanor didn't even know who she was before this year. Though, she had to admit Liam's frantic letters about the numerous presents he had received during Christmas and his birthday were very amusing.

Liam shrugged, throwing his quill on the desk. "I guess I have a certain quality that makes me irresistible to stalkers. First, Siobhan and now Olivia. Who's next?" He trailed off, heaving a huge sigh. Even though he was trying his hardest to keep a distressed expression, Eleanor knew he was somewhat liking his "awful" situation.

"You should go out with her," Jared exclaimed suddenly, breaking into the conversation.

"No, I shouldn't!"

"No, he shouldn't!"

Liam and Eleanor both loudly spoke at the same time, turning to look at each other after their exclamations.

"Why not?" Jared pressed on, leaning forward curiously.

Liam's eyes widened dramatically and, after a quick look around, spoke in a hushed voice, "She's crazy."

Eleanor 'hmm'ed in agreement. "And what's the point?" she quickly joined in.

Jared shrugged. "Maybe it will finally get her to go away." There was a short, thoughtful pause. "Forever," he had to add for emphasis.

"_Or_ she'll _never _leave," Liam proclaimed, shuddering at the thought.

Eleanor could just imagine Olivia hanging around Liam, never giving him a moment's peace. She couldn't even begin to fathom dealing with that until they graduated; it truly was an unbearable scenario.

Looking over at Liam, Eleanor saw him grimace, folding his arms and sitting back in his chair with a huff. Eleanor winced in response; she could almost feel his pain.

-x-

It was eight that night when Suzanne finally showed up in the dormitory, disturbing Eleanor from her nightly routine of reading three chapters of her choice novel.

"Hey!" Suzanne greeted her excitedly, bounding over and throwing herself down on Eleanor's bed. Eleanor watched helplessly as her stack of books went crashing to the floor and scrambled to pick them up.

"Sorry!" Suzanne apologized quickly, helping Eleanor by stacking the books on her beside table. "I'm just-" Eleanor watched as Suzanne hesitated, flailing as though she was lost for words. "You'll _never _believe what happened."

Eleanor put the last book down and went to sit back down on her bed. Suzanne sat across from her, smiling brightly. Supposedly, Eleanor had to guess.

"Um, you finished your essay?"

Suzanne gave Eleanor an exasperated look and with a sigh, said, "That's _predictable_. My new _boyfriend,_ however, is anything but."

Eleanor blinked, her eyebrows pulled together as she tried to process the information. "What?"

"You know Alexander Keating from Ancient Runes?" Eleanor slowly shook her head, no face coming to her mind. "You know, he sat in the row next to me and always asked for my notes. Well, he asked me to go study with him, just like that and then _asked me _if I'd like to be his girlfriend and I said _yes_."

Curling her feet underneath her, Eleanor responded with a short, "oh" and a frown.

"And you're not excited for me," Suzanne stated.

Biting her lip from saying more than she needed to, Eleanor tried to choose her words carefully, afraid to offend Suzanne. She didn't want to come off _too _strong. "It's just..._why_? It isn't as though the relationship will become something permanent for life."

With a scoff, Suzanne just rolled her eyes. "Because it's _nice _and not as awful as you make it sound. You should really just give it a try once, just one date. I know that Ian, Jared's friend, thinks you're really pretty-"

"I don't need a boyfriend," Eleanor was quick to cut her off. "I have Liam."

"So what?" Suzanne exclaimed, immediately raising an eyebrow at Eleanor's statement. "Are you saying he's your boyfriend now?"

She should have known Suzanne wouldn't understand. "No, he's a boy who's a friend and that's all I need; I don't need an actual boyfriend."

With a chuckle, Suzanne shook her head and persisted. "Just _try _it."

Eleanor almost fumbled over her words, trying to come up with a good, strong excuse why not to. "I'm too young for this," she decided upon, but Suzanne was already frantically shaking her head again.

"You're _fourteen!"_

"And relationships don't go anywhere when you're fourteen," Eleanor reasoned, but was interrupted by one of her novels being waved in her face.

"What book is this, Eleanor?"

Tilting to the left, Eleanor quickly answered, "_Pride and Prejudice_."

Suzanne set it down in front of her. "And isn't it a _romance _novel?" Eleanor didn't even have a chance to explain before Suzanne continued on her rant. "And doesn't one of the characters get married at _age fifteen_?" When Eleanor gave her a shrug in response, Suzanne added, "You read these books, don't you? Shouldn't you, I don't know, get ideas from them? You obviously like the idea of love."

"The idea, yes-" Eleanor began, but Suzanne interrupted again.

"So, give it a chance. It's just one date, not the end of the world. Nothing has to come of it. I'll ask Ian for you; it's obvious he fancies you an-"

"No one fancies me," Eleanor exclaimed over Suzanne, making the other girl stop in mid-word. "They all have the wrong idea about Liam and won't even _think _about liking me when I'm already in a relationship." The words were getting harder now, and Eleanor wasn't even sure how to say them anymore. "It's not like I can tell Liam to give me some space, he's my best friend; I can't abandon him like that. It's not fair. Life's not fair, you know. I'm used to it."

Eleanor watched Suzanne awkwardly start picking at the blanket. Maybe this was going too far. Maybe she said something that had offended Suzanne. Eleanor couldn't help it; it was her view and she had the right to have a different opinion. Then why did she feel as though she shouldn't stayed quiet about the subject?

"What would you do-" Suzanne suddenly broke the silence that fell over the two of them, "-if I know someone that really does fancy you. Would you give him a chance?"

The answer should have been no.

It really should've.

* * *

Dun-dun-dunnnnn. The next chapter is pretty interesting - one of my favorites so far. There's more of Olivia and I really lke writing her, so maybe that's why. But anyway, thank you _Sebhar _for editing this for me! You're awesome!

Thanks for reading! I'm thinking Suddenly I See might be updated...soonish. This weekend or next. We'll see.


	20. Ian Fabray

As soon as Liam left the common room, he had the strange feeling that someone was watching him and, after heaving a huge sigh, realized _exactly _who it was.

She didn't try to hide the way she was walking behind him, giggling about something to her friend next to her. He could even hear parts of their conversation which, not surprisingly at all, were about him.

"Go talk to him!"

"What would I say?"

"Just say _something_. He's _cute_."

"Don't you think I noticed that by now?!"

Liam couldn't help but wince at their conversation and try to block it out of his mind. He didn't feel like dealing with Olivia today and it sounded as if she might even try _talking _to him for the first time since she introduced herself. The only other time she ever conversed with him was during the holidays with her gifts and letters. He barely _knew _the girl, and yet she was acting as though they were already a destined couple.

After a few long seconds, he realized that the corridor had grown quiet; Olivia and her friend weren't behind him anymore. _Finally_. After sighing in relief, Liam continued making his way down to the library to spend his Saturday reading and doodling on his parchment.

Even though the library was only occupied by a couple students, he took his usual table in the back of the room, hiding behind the shelves and books. After hesitating, listening for any sense of movement, Liam finally decided the coast was clear. Bringing out his book, he only got to the first word.

"Hi!"

Startled, he dropped the book and looked up to see _her _standing right next to him. So much for the coast being clear. Holding back a groan, he managed to force out a courteous, "Hello."

Olivia was smiling brightly at him, standing upright as if she had to have perfect posture. "Did you like your presents? I never asked," she suddenly said.

With a sinking feeling, Liam knew she wasn't about to leave any time soon. "Oh, yeah. They were...great." He didn't want to lie to her, but he couldn't hurt her feelings. He just needed to let her down _easy_.

"Uh...Olivia-" Liam began to say.

"You can call me Livy," she exclaimed over him, still smiling that smile.

"Oh, um..." Liam hesitated, not knowing quite how to respond. "That's an...interesting nickname."

She laughed, sitting down in the seat next to him, as if he _invited _her to sit there. "It's not a nickname," she chuckled, shaking her head at him.

Liam blinked in confusion. "Then, what-"

"It's a pet name," she told him and then, before Liam could even respond, added with a scary smirk, "-and you're the only one allowed to call me that."

As she batted her eyelashes at him, Liam could only mouth a silent "oh."

He knew she was only insisting on the nickname because it was so similar to his name – four letters _and _beginning with 'Li.' Was it even possible for this to get more awkward?

"You know," Olivia suddenly piped up, still smiling that smile as if things weren't absolutely awkward, "I always thought you weren't available and you and the blonde girl were together, but I saw her earlier meeting her boyfriend. Of _course_, then-"

_Wait_-

"What are you talking about?" Was it a new tactic to make make up crazy stories and hope that would get her closer to him?

"You know," she repeated, as if she knew _everything, _"Ian Fabray."

"I don't know an Ian Fabray," Liam snapped at her, not even bothering with trying to conceal his impatience. But Olivia didn't even seem to notice.

"Oh, well, I was wondering, if you aren't doing anything later-"

Liam didn't hesitate. "Excuse me, I have to go get a book." Leaving the girl at the table, Liam quickly made his way behind the bookshelves, weaving through each row. She wouldn't be able to find him on the other side of the library.

Stopping at the first bookshelf in the library by the doors, he took a moment to catch his breath. It was hard work to lose a crazy girl.

Hearing the front doors open, Liam turned to see who was coming in. He wouldn't have been surprised if it was one of Olivia's friends, or even Olivia herself – with her, nothing was impossible. However, instead of a Gryffindor, he found a Hufflepuff and someone who looked a lot like Eleanor. It couldn't be her though, since the Hufflepuff wasn't Jared and she wouldn't talk to anyone she didn't really know.

Leaning over the shelf, Liam caught sight of the girl's face and realized, with a jolt, it _was _her. Immediately, his eyes snapped back to the person with her, but he couldn't recognize him, no matter how much he frantically tried.

Watching them carefully, he realized that Eleanor wasn't closed off at all. In fact, she was smiling and responding to the guy as if she actually _knew _him. This wasn't Eleanor at all; where was his best friend?

It was almost as if it was a nightmare. Eleanor was now reaching on tiptoes to grab a book on a top shelf, and then _he _walked up, easily reaching up behind her to get it for her.

"Thanks," he could see her say with a soft smile. And with a smile in return, the Hufflepuff gestured to sit down.

"_Hey_," the whisper behind Liam made him cringe, almost knocking over the books on the shelf. How did she find him over here?!

Instead of replying, Liam kept his eyes on Eleanor, waiting for an explanation, anything.

"I thought you were lost," Olivia began talking, and Liam groaned. "Oh, that's Ian right there. Told you they were on a date."

_Ian._

Olivia wasn't lying. Eleanor was with someone else – this _Ian _and not him.

"They aren't on a date," he rationalized, never taking his eyes off of the two, "They're studying."

There were books in front of them. Eleanor had her bookbag. They had to be studying.

Olivia only scoffed. "Studying on their _date._"

He couldn't respond with another retort, not when the truth was right in front of him. He knew there was truth in Olivia's words, no matter how much he wanted to believe she was crazy.

"You know," Olivia spoke slowly and Liam could hear the suggestive note in her voice, "I could, purely for educational purposes, pretend that I'm romantically linked with you-"

Liam turned slightly, raising his eyebrows at the girl. "Why-"

"You can use me for your benefit, Liam. I wouldn't even care. Making her realize-"

"Realize _what_?"

_ What _was she talking about? Why did this girl speak in riddles? Why couldn't she just _say_ what she meant?

"That you are so much better than him," Olivia exclaimed loudly.

Liam moved to shush her, his eyes cautious. "Why would I do that?"

Olivia paused, leaning forward over the bookshelf to catch a glimpse of Liam's face. "Because you're jealous."

It was an immediate reaction to the familiar misconception. "Of a _study session_? It's not a date and I don't even fancy her, so _why _would I be jealous?"

Turning back toward the scene in front of him, he caught the end of Ian's lips on Eleanor's cheek and knew that it couldn't be just a study session.

It was definitely something more. Something she didn't tell him about.

"You may not fancy her, but she's your best friend and she didn't tell you or care enough to let you know. Friends tell each other about these things, Liam. Why wouldn't she tell you?"  
And he had no excuse why. The hammering in his head was too loud to concentrate on coming up with an answer. Maybe he really losing her. Maybe he did something wrong.

He just didn't know.

* * *

Thanks to sebhar for looking over this and making sure I didn't butcher it too badly.

And thanks to all you for reading this. Many hearts to all of you forever and ever and ever.


	21. A Visit

"Oh, sorry, I thought – sorry - "

Wincing, Eleanor backed up from the intertwined couple who were both glaring at her and quickly hurried out of view.

It was the third snogging couple Eleanor found in the back of the library; she had a feeling it wasn't physically possible to blush more than she had in the last hour.

Taking in a deep breath, she stopped in the middle of the library, knowing that Madam Pince was watching her. She had searched _everywhere _for him and he _promised _he would meet her this afternoon. It was scheduled even – written down on her "to do list" and circled five times.

_Library – 3 o'clock_

Checking the time, she found it was – not 3 o'clock – but 3:11 and he was _late _by a full _eleven_ minutes. He was never this late for anything; there had to be a good reason. An _extremely _good reason to make her wait around like this.

Walking out of the library doors, Eleanor took a quick look down the corridor, hoping to see him coming. The only people walking her way were a group of first years who nervously acknowledged her as they walked by.

Maybe he was busy. Or maybe he just forgot.

"Eleanor!"

Turning quickly on her heel, she caught sight of Ian walking up to her. Smiling, she greeted him. "Hi."

"What are you doing out here?" he asked. Eleanor moved slightly as he talked, taking another glance down the corridor. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Liam, actually," she responded to Ian's question, her eyes still fixated past him. "He was supposed to meet me in the library at three o'clock and he's late."

"Oh," Ian said shortly and an awkward silence pressed upon them. Ian began to shuffle his feet, watching Eleanor carefully as if she was supposed to say something, but she didn't have a single thing to say.

She knew it wasn't supposed to be like this.

"You know what?" Ian suddenly said, taking a few steps forward with a forced smile, "I'm going to go work on an assignment."

"Okay," Eleanor replied slowly, trying to gauge his reaction. "Good luck," she tried, but she knew his attempt at a smile was just what it was – an attempt.

Nevertheless, he still moved forward and as if he was trying to prove something, quickly kissed her before she could say or do anything. She was wrong; now, she was blushing even more than in the library and she didn't know what to do.

"Bye," she heard Ian say and then his retreating footsteps.

Only when her fingers uncurled from the object in her hand and she heard it flutter to the ground did she finally remember what she was supposed to be doing.

After going back up to the Ravenclaw common room, Eleanor finally found Liam in his dormitory. She first heard the music – his favorite muggle band, Journey – coming from behind the door and he was in there. There and not the library.

"Liam?" she asked, slowly cracking open the door. "Are you in there?" When there wasn't an answer, she knocked a couple times.

In the middle of the "na, na, na, na, na, na"s, she finally heard him respond with a "yeah?" and she walked in, closing the door behind her.

Turning around, she saw Liam laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as his record player blasted music next to him. Eleanor winced at the volume of the song and crossed the room to turn the player off.

"Hey!" he immediately protested, sitting up.

Crossing her arms, Eleanor glared, trying to come up with a perfectly good reason he was just laying there. Liam wasn't even paying attention to her; instead, he was reaching over to turn his record player back on.

"What time is it?" Eleanor asked, interrupting him.

He shrugged, glancing over. "Uh...sometime in the afternoon?"

He _didn't even know. _Flicking her wand in the air furiously, the time of 3:34 shone brightly in front of him.

"Okay?" Liam said slowly, blinking up at her.

How was he was not even _remotely_ aware of what he had done? After having to search for him and then _this_, she couldn't take his nonchalantness anymore.

"It's 3:34, Liam!" Eleanor raised her voice, trying not to clench her fists, "You were _supposed _to meet me in the library at 3 o'clock, yes, 3 o'clock which was thirty four minutes ago! Instead, you're just in here, listening to your Journey and having no clue what time it is, successfully ignoring me in the process. All I wanted to do was work on our essays but no, you decided that I don't matter anymore or something because you've been acting distant for the past week and I can't take it anymore!"

She didn't mean to yell at him, though she felt much better now she was trying to catch her breath and Liam was staring at her with wide eyes. She watched him open and close his mouth a couple times, as if he was going to say something and changed his mind at the last second.

With a frown, he finally managed a quiet "I'm sorry."

Eleanor let out a slow breath to calm her heart and narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you forget?"

"I lost track of time," Liam answered softly and Eleanor heard the hesitancy in his voice from not wanting to tell her.

She knew he was trying to calm her down and although she wanted to prove him wrong, she couldn't stay angry at him. Not when she had things to discuss.

"I got a letter today," she changed the subject without warning, pulling out the letter from her cloak pocket.

Liam moved to the edge of his bed, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. "From?"

Eleanor began unfolding the note. "Sirius, actually," she responded, "He wants me to go meet him about Ivy's story." Holding out the letter, Liam took it, skimming the contents as Eleanor continued to explain. "We'd have to go to James and Lily's under Dumbledore's request. He's worried about my safety and since James and Lily are already under protection, he agreed it was a safe place to meet. He wants me to take someone-"

She paused as Liam looked up at her and caught her gaze. "Why do _I _have to go?" he asked, immediately jumping to (right) conclusions.

Ignoring the other implications of his sentence, Eleanor quickly answered, "You're the only one who knows about Ivy so I can't go with anyone else. They wouldn't understand the whole situation." When he didn't respond, she added a soft "please, I need you to go."

She couldn't just go alone. He wouldn't do that to her.

After a long pause and a slow sigh, Liam finally said, "If I'm called any name other than Liam-" Eleanor gave him a look. "Okay, okay, I'll go."

"Wonderful," Eleanor proclaimed with a smile, "We'll go over Easter break."

-x-

It was freezing sleet the day they agreed to go. Since they weren't able to apparate yet and Dumbledore had other business to attend to, the Headmaster had sent them with a portkey and the knowledge of James and Lily's where-a-bouts.

Liam stayed strangely silent during the trip as they trekked up the path, shielding their faces from the weather. Eleanor had a feeling he was trying not to complain about his decision to go. At least he gave her that, but she couldn't help but have her own doubts.

There wasn't even a house in front of them. The path seemed to lead into trees and Eleanor had no clue why Dumbledore would send her into a forest; however, sometimes she couldn't understand his logic behind anything.

"Are we going into the forest?" she heard Liam ask over the roar of the wind.

Eleanor nodded softly. "I believe so."

Liam didn't respond, but she could practically sense his frustration.

Ducking their heads from the sleet, they walked through a gate, slowly trudging up the path. When Eleanor took a glance up to check on their progress, she stopped and blinked a couple times.

"Liam!" she called when he kept walking. He looked back at her, waiting for her to continue. Raising her eyebrows, she motioned her head behind him.

A small cottage surrounded by a hedge stood in front of them– something that was definitely not there a couple seconds ago. Exchanging glances with each other, they slowly made their way up the steps and, hesitating on the front porch, took a couple seconds to look between the door and the other, trying to determine who would knock on the door. Just as Eleanor was about to say something, the door swung open and a hand was ushering them in.

Eleanor froze and then felt Liam push her slightly into the dark house and she stumbled over the threshold.

"You're right on time."

Turning, Eleanor let out a breath of relief when she saw Sirius in front of her. "It was a bit hard to find," she heard herself say, surprising herself at how easily it was to forget her fears.

Sirius laughed, saying something that sounded like a quick "good" before turning to Liam.

"So..." He said slowly, and Eleanor could have sworn she saw Liam flinch, ready for the Lancelot or Luke or whatever crazy L name Sirius had in mind. "Nice to see you here, Liam."

Liam tried to hide his smile, but Eleanor caught a quick upturn of the lips. Catching Sirius's gaze, she nodded slowly, glad to know Sirius took her warnings about Liam seriously.

A conversation in the next room interrupted Eleanor's thoughts.

"Come on," Sirius exclaimed, leading them in the direction of the voices. Walking into the next room, Eleanor saw James and Remus talking to each other but they immediately stopped when Sirius cleared his throat.

Eleanor took in the silence to study both of them; they looked slightly older, Remus especially, but they were still _so_ familiar. It _almost_ felt like it was first year again and everyone was happy; Ivy was alive, Voldemort wasn't much of a threat, and the future was something worth looking to. But that wasn't the case anymore.

And she had nothing to say to them.

Eleanor took a seat down on the nearest couch, tucking her feet underneath her. She stared determinedly down at the carpet, trying to ignore the awkward silence around her. When she briefly glanced up through her lashes, she could see Liam moving to sit next to her, still looking a bit uncomfortable being there.

"Do you want something to eat?" Sirius broke the silence. Looking up, she caught his gaze but before she could even nod in response, Sirius was already making his way to the kitchen. A quick glance around the room made Eleanor realize everyone had left but she couldn't remember James and Remus leaving at all.

Feeling Liam's eyes on her, Eleanor turned in his direction. He only managed an "are you-" before Eleanor cut him off with a "I'm fine, Liam. Don't worry." His mouth opened again and Eleanor added a quick "yes, I'm sure."

"Okay," Liam said after a pause.

"Oh, hello Eleanor." Eleanor looked up to see Lily standing in the doorway, holding an infant with dark hair. "I forgot you were coming today."

"Hi," Eleanor greeted her, watching as the baby hid his face away from her.

Lily laughed, making her way over and said, "This is Harry. Sorry if he seems a bit shy; he's going through the stranger phase."

"That's okay," Eleanor shrugged softly. "Babies don't usually like me anyway." She learned the summer before that she was horrible with children.

Harry was peeking out with one eye, surveying the room. His gaze suddenly stopped on Liam and stayed there.

"He seems to like you," Lily commented with a smile, moving Harry so he could continue to watch Liam.

Liam nodded uncomfortably, the corners of his mouth twitching upward into an awkward smile. Eleanor was about to say something when Remus, James, and Sirius came back from the kitchen, carrying sandwiches and drinks.

"How have you been, Eleanor?" Remus asked, handing her a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Fine," she responded, "I've been focusing on my studies." She wasn't about to tell them about Ian, especially not when Liam didn't know the whole story.

She saw James look at Harry, who was still staring at Liam, his eyes never wavering. "I see Harry likes your friend." She smiled slightly, grateful as the conversation turned to away from her.

"So, how are you Liam?" Sirius asked and then added, "Got any girls chasing you?"  
Eleanor supposed it was a joke, but she had to try her best to hide the smile on her face, especially as Liam's face darkened. "I have this...stalker girl..."

Even though Eleanor was able to hold in her laughter, Sirius wasn't. "Stalker girl?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Liam muttered which Eleanor found slightly surprising, since she expected him to start ranting about Olivia. He always did in the dormitory.

"Well, here," Sirius suddenly exclaimed, climbing over the back of the couch to grab something sitting on the side table. Looking down, Eleanor saw he was holding out a journal – Ivy's journal – to her. "I guess you can read through it, make some changes, suggestions, I don't know. Just see if it's...if it can be published."  
Opening to the first page, there was Ivy's handwriting, cursive and hurried, as if she was going to forget her brilliant idea.

_Her_ idea. _Ivy's _idea. Eleanor couldn't change any of Ivy's words. They were _her _creation – not hers and she had no right to edit it.

"I can't do it," Eleanor slowly said, trying to even out her trembling words, "I can't change her words. It'd be an insult to what she wrote; I can't just put my own words in with hers. Look, here-" Thumbing down a page, she stumbled, trying to find the right words, "Right here, she - she crossed out a whole line because she had a different idea. I can't change her stroke of brilliance. She was probably so excited when she thought of it and I can't touch this-"

"What if someone else does?" Sirius hastily interrupted her, "What if someone else edits it and changes everything that made her Ivy? You're her sister. You were the closest person to her; hell, you look a lot like her, and I know that doesn't mean anything, but I trust you with this more than anyone else. You've got to do it for me – no, for her...for the people that will end up reading this and her story for the first time..."

It made sense but she couldn't even breathe looking at Ivy's words; how was she supposed to edit them? "I – just need some time," she finally managed to say, glancing up at Sirius who was staring intensely back at her. "Just a couple months, not long I promise."

Sirius nodded. "Take your time. We can wait."

Wait – the word made her flinch with realization. Just like with Ivy, there could be no time to sit around and wait.

* * *

Thank you to Ramenette and Nicoley117-LadyBlueMartini for helping me with this chapter (and Nicole for helping me with...mostly every chapter.) And thank you to everyone reading and reviewing!

Things coming up: Ivy's book, November 1st, 1981 and some more Olivia stalking. Maybe I'll throw in some more Journey. We shall see.


	22. Book Reading

"Just-"

"I got it."

"Make sure-"

"I'm good."

"You'll need to-"

Liam grinned, finally prying Eleanor's fingers off of the book. "I'll be fine. After all, she can't say no-"

She immediately gave him one of those looks and before he could even use the book as a shield, she was hitting him with her bookbag. "Liam!"

Trying to hold the book in front of him (because she could _really_ bruise), Liam shrugged but the smile was still on his face. "Well, she _can't_. That whole irresistiblity charm-"

"You've got to be kidding me," Eleanor exclaimed, crossing her arms.

She may have looked like she wanted to kill him, but Liam was only amused. "Hey, this was your idea," he immediately defended himself. "Using me and my stalker to your benefit-"

"I'm not _using _you," Eleanor responded, frowning deeply. "You just don't have to be so smug about your stalker that you claim to hate. It's quite annoying."

He gave her a long look. "Sorry," he finally said but he knew Eleanor wasn't going to take it seriously when that smile on his face refused to fade.

Like he predicted, Eleanor rolled her eyes and pushed Liam toward the Gryffindor table. "Just go."

"What do you want me to say?"

She stared at him for a long time until his smile faded away and he felt stupid just standing there. "Well..." she finally said after a long while and Liam winced, ready for the chastisement. "It doesn't matter. According to you, all you have to do is be in her presence and she'll be falling at your feet." And then the corners of her mouth were turning upward and Liam saw it immediately.

She wasn't being serious at all. At least she was joking with him instead of mauling him to death.

He could only shake his head in response, trying to hide his own smile. "I'll be back," he said, taking a deep breath before making his way over to the Gryffindor table.

It was the first time talking to Olivia since the library incident and hopefully, she wouldn't try to attack him. He was still a bit afraid of her, but Eleanor had talked him into this whole thing, and even though it was probably going to be a disaster, he had to try.

Suddenly, one of the girls sitting across from Olivia noticed Liam making his way over and she immediately began giggling, catching Olivia's attention.

And then all eyes of the Gryffindor table were on him.

Olivia was staring at Liam with a bright smile and it took all he had not to cringe. Instead, he continued on his way over to her, and bumped slightly into the table.

"Oh, sorry-" he began.

She was now flushing, as if she was embarrassed out of nowhere. It took everything for Liam not to roll his eyes. "Oh, it's-" Her voice was breathy and it took her a few tries to even compose a sentence. "Absolutely fine."

"You know, I wanted to ask you something actually," Liam told her and pretended not to notice her quiet squeal of excitement. Instead, he held out the book in his hands and put on the biggest smile he could. "Have you ever read this?"

Direct and to the point. Just like her. It had to work.

Olivia's eyes grew large. "You mean, it's for _me_?"

The chorus of giggling girls threw Liam off and he quickly struggled to say something, _anything_, that wouldn't let Olivia think that he was giving her a present. "No, no, it's mine-"

Olivia smiled, leaning forward. "So, what are you doing with such a girly book then, Liam?"

Liam held it next to his chest, hoping that she wouldn't reach out and try to take it. Except he knew that she would tackle him if need be. "Oh, it's one of my favorite books." He sounded like such a girl, but it didn't matter at that moment.

Her eyebrow quirked. "Oh, really?"

Turning it around, Liam showcased the cover. "It is," he exclaimed, clearing his throat. "_Laurel Hills _by Ivy Bennett-"

"Bennett?" Olivia's eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion and Liam groaned under his breath. He really didn't have the patience to deal with _this_.

"Oh, well, not – you know – not related to Eleanor or anything, just-" Rambling like that, Olivia was definitely going to know something was up.

Olivia's eyes were still narrowed and now he was sure she was trying to read him or something. "You're not _with _her now, are you?"

Liam knew it was coming, but her tone still made him hesitate. "Uh-"

"She means if you're still _available_," one of the friends elaborated with more giggles.

"She's with-" Liam began but then Olivia's sudden bright smile cut him off.

"They broke up," she exclaimed as if she was _happy. _According to her logic, he thought she'd be sad about it, since Eleanor was "vying for his attention" again.

And Liam hadn't heard anything about a break-up. Eleanor would have definitely said something, maybe just in passing, but she wouldn't keep it from him. Not even if she never told them her and Ian were officially together.

How could Olivia possibly know?

"Do you stalk her?" he finally asked, blinking as he realized she was holding a staring contest with him.

"No, I just listen," she answered vaguely.

Ignoring her comment and everything she had just told him prior, Liam went back to the task at hand. "Well, this book is just an interesting coincidence; nothing having to do with Eleanor at all."

Her gaze was still suspicious, but she didn't say anything. "It looks like a romance novel," she then said.

Before Liam could respond, one of Olivia's friends was leaning over, whispering something in Olivia's ear that made them both giggle. He tried his best to ignore it, adding, "Well, there's some romance in it, but-"

"Do you read romance novels Liam?" she asked, seemingly innocently but Liam knew better.

"I read them all the time," he answered without hesitation.

The girls at the table shared a quick look and Liam watched them deliberate something; he wasn't exactly sure what they were doing since they were making an effort not to clue him in.

Suddenly, Olivia turned back to him. "Do you really?"

Liam nodded, showing off the title of the book once again. "Yes, and this one is my absolute favorite. If I was going to recommend a book, this one would definitely be number one on my list."

A smile then appeared on Olivia's face and she scooted toward him in her seat. "Would you – I mean, could you just – read a little bit of it to us? We'd like to hear some."

Liam took in all of their hopeful faces and, with a sigh, opened to the middle of the book.

If he was going to do this, he might as well go all out.

Clearing his throat again, he skimmed the page until he found the correct passage. "_We never saw eye-to-eye_," he recited loudly, catching the attention of everyone around him. "_I don't think I ever even saw you before you accidentally dropped your bag that day. I know it's only been a couple weeks and I know we've never spoken of this before, Anne, but-" _Liam reached out, taking Olivia's hand for effect. He could feel her freeze. "-_I think there's something – something that brought us together or some sort of trick of fate. I don't know if you feel the same way, but I couldn't go one more day without telling you. You're always there, every time I look, and I just wanted to let you know."_

Awkwardly, he let go of Olivia's hand, practically forcing her fingers off of him. The other girls immediately let out a collective sigh and began clapping loudly and that seemed to bring Olivia out of her stupor.

"Oh, um...what book is that again?" she asked breathlessly.

"_Laurel Hills_ by Ivy Bennett," he repeated. Olivia nodded, quickly grabbing a spare bit of parchment to write it down.

He left the giggling girls and made his way back to the Ravenclaw table, his shoulders slumping as soon as he turned away.

Eleanor was watching him walk over with an unreadable expression and he hesitated before talking. "I can't believe I just did that," he muttered, handing the book over to her.

Suddenly, Eleanor was laughing, her hand covering her face as if she didn't want to look at him. He watched, bewildered, not sure whether or not to laugh too. He didn't even know why she was laughing. Obviously, she had to find something funny but what had just happened was awkward and strange, not exactly funny.

"You-" she managed to say, "You looked...that was absolutely _ridiculous_."

"Ridiculous? I just probably sold at least twenty books to the Gryffindor girls. I think the Hufflepuffs were listening in too. I don't think it was ridiculous."

But she wouldn't even stop laughing to just listen to him. And Liam found that he didn't really mind – he hadn't heard her laugh for a really long time.

* * *

Hiiiiii readers.

I know it's seems extra long between updates, but it's only because of classes, and since I'm gonna go from having five to one in less than a month, I can promise chapters more frequently. Just stick with me.

I hope you liked the chapter. Olivia's pretty...interesting. I actually really enjoy her character...so much, here's a snippet of chapter 25:

_It was hard to explain, Eleanor concluded, especially when Olivia was dead set on fact that her and Liam were more than friends. Olivia wouldn't even listen to her; she kept rolling her eyes and shaking her head with all of Eleanor's words._  
_ "Honestly, Olivia, he's my best friend. Why would I ruin that?"_  
_ "Because he's Liam Pritchard," Olivia insisted. "Why wouldn't you try something?"_

Thanks for reading!


	23. New Prefect

Eleanor sighed, leaning forward to tap her fingers impatiently on the side of the chair. They had said they were leaving thirty minutes ago, but her parents were still saying their goodbyes and giving her every single warning they could possibly think of: Don't leave the house. Don't open the windows. Don't let anybody in (especially boys, added by her father). She supposed it was for the best, but Eleanor couldn't help but be annoyed.

"Maybe I should put an extra charm on the door, just in case," her father began saying.

"No, no," Eleanor interrupted him, standing up out of the seat. "You already have seven. I'll be safe, I promise; I'm more worried about you."

"Aw, honey!" Her mother reacted in the way Eleanor expected, bringing her in a tight hug. "We'll be fine. You don't have to worry about us. I doubt anything will happen; it's just a quick trip to the store."

Eleanor nodded, pulling away from her mother. "Be careful."

"We will," her mother assured, and then with even more smiles and goodbyes, they finally made their way out of the door.

"Bye mum, dad," Eleanor called out of the door, waving goodbye.

She hesitated for a few seconds, watching to make sure they were out of sight, and then took a step out of the door.

"Li-"

She let out of gasp of surprise when he appeared in front of her, practically throwing himself under the porch railing and standing up in front of her. She wanted to say something, but there wasn't time for questions, so she instead grabbed his arm and pulled him into the house.

Liam leaned back, closing the door behind him and crossing his arms. "I feel like we're doing something we shouldn't."

Eleanor gave him a long look and then reminded him, "We are."

He only laughed. "Happy birthday!"

He said it with so much enthusiasm that it made Eleanor pause for a second and then finally say, "Thank you." Crossing the room, she quickly grabbed the letter on the table. "I got my book list today and this," she began, holding it out to him.

She knew Liam didn't understand what she was talking about, but she didn't feel like stumbling her way through her own explanation when Liam could just read the letter.

He looked down into the envelope, his eyes immediately widening. "You're a prefect?" Pulling out the letter, he started to skim it.

"And you aren't?" Eleanor asked, interrupting him. This was what she was worried about.

"No, I didn't get a badge," Liam answered, looking down at the letter. "Wow, Flitwick really went all out with the compliments – organized, productive-"

"You're really not the other prefect?"

"No, but did you read what Flitwick said – that you'd be a great role model for the younger stu-"

"But then who am I going to be working with?"

Liam shrugged, barely glancing up. "One of my roommates."

"You never talk about them. I don't even know their names or anything – what happens if we don't get along? What if we clash and-"

"There's Joseph," Liam said over what was becoming Eleanor's frantic rant. "I don't really think you two would get along honestly, but only because he's a bit loud."

"You're a bit loud."

He chose to completely ignore that. "But he wouldn't be made into a prefect anyway. Harrison – nah, he's way into his studies and I don't think he'd be made into a prefect when he barely talks to anyone. The other prefect is probably between Neil and Diego, based on which one Flitwick likes more. I say Neil; he's sort of the leader in our dormitory and reminds us when essays and other assignments are due, but his family was considering moving to another school last year, so I don't even know if he'll be back."

Eleanor took in a deep breath, trying to remember Liam's roommates. They seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place their faces to their names at all. She wouldn't be able to tell who the other prefect was without Liam pointing him out to her.

"You'll be great," she could hear Liam assuring her.

She wasn't even that afraid of being a prefect; it was just the other person. It always took awhile for her to be comfortable around someone. Even though she had dated Ian for a month, she never was able to open up to him.

"Oh," Liam suddenly brought her attention back to him. "Here! This is for you." With a bright smile, he held out a box wrapped in a bright blue ribbon.

Eleanor couldn't help but chuckle at the look on his face and took the present carefully. Sitting down on the couch behind her, she took her time, knowing that Liam was getting more and more anxious every second.

Pulling off the lid, she glanced inside and her head snapped back up, eyes meeting his. "How did you get this?"

He shrugged as she pulled out the gift – a muggle camera, a Nikon, and although Eleanor didn't know much about cameras, she knew it was a good brand. It looked expensive with different ways to move the lens and even came with a shoulder strap which had to cost extra. There was no way he could have afforded this.

"It wasn't much," Liam said quietly, "I just wanted to get you a real gift this year instead of something as simple as a mood ring."

Eleanor glanced down at the ring, which was still on her finger – it was an off-white (confused, shocked, stunned).

"I...suppose it's not that cool anyway," Liam continued with a sigh. "I mean, the pictures won't even move and-"

"I'd rather they didn't," Eleanor cut him off, turning the camera over in her hands and checking to see if they was already film inside. "After all, it's supposed to be a snap-shot of time. I like it better this way..." Holding up the camera to her face, she looked through the lens at Liam. "Smile for me?"

She didn't need to ask twice.

-x-

She was just going to march right up to him – when she found out who he was, of course – and introduce herself. She was a Ravenclaw prefect now; she was supposed to be a leader and couldn't hide anymore.

Losing her parents in the crowd, Eleanor quickly made her way to the train, all the while looking for one of her roommates (though _not _Marnie) or Liam.

She only had to go down three compartments before she found Liam, sitting by himself and reading The Daily Prophet.

Pulling the door open, she smiled at him and then gestured back out into the aisle. "Can you help me find one of your roommates – Neil, was it?"

He gave her an expected strange look. "Why?"

"Please?" she added.

Liam blinked and then set down the newspaper, walking over to the door. He leaned over the doorframe, peering at the people outside. Eleanor stood in the doorway and watched carefully for a boy who looked her age and seemed very responsible.

It took awhile, but finally Liam pointed at someone walking slowly down the aisle. "That's Neil. Now why do you-"

Giving Liam a quick smile, Eleanor took a step out of the compartment. "Neil?" she called out.

"What are you doing?" she heard Liam say and try to pull her back, but she wrenched her hand out of his grasp.

"Neil?" she said loudly again and then she saw a boy with curly blond hair and glasses turn toward her. He was giving her the strangest look but Eleanor was used to it. "Hi, I'm Eleanor," she exclaimed as she stopped in front of him.

She saw the recognition in his eyes. "Oh, yes, Eleanor Bennett."

Eleanor smiled. "Are you the other prefect?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I am. How did you know?"

Shrugging softly, Eleanor responded, "It seemed most likely. I look forward to working with you this year." Holding out her hand, she saw him eye it for a second, and then he shook it.

"You too."

With another smile, Eleanor turned back toward the compartment where she saw Liam gaping at her, his eyes wide. "What was that?" he managed to say as she made her way back inside their compartment.

Eleanor shrugged again, sitting down. "Might as well start 5th year differently, right?"

He was still staring at her with his mouth open and it took him a moment to straighten up and make his way over to her. "I guess."

If she could make Liam speechless, Eleanor knew she was doing something right.

* * *

Thank you Nicoley117-LadyBlueMartini for editing this chapter!

So, 5th year. Filled with some...very interesting times. Also, any similarities you see between my story and Glee is because RYAN MURPHY ABSOLUTELY CAME INTO MY HOUSE AND STOLE MY DSB OUTLINE. I'm onto you, Ryan. (But seriously, every time I hear what's going to happen on Glee, I shout, "I PLANNED THAT FIRST.")

Anyway, thank you for reading!


	24. Irrevocably Broken

He took the steps two at a time, bounding down the staircase that led to the Ravenclaw entrance. He was late – thirty minutes late, to be exact – and he knew Eleanor would be angry. When he came downstairs to find she didn't have the patience to wait for him, Liam knew today was going to be one of those days.

It really wasn't his fault. He was ready to leave the dormitory this morning, but then his owl had started knocking on the window incessantly. The bird had no patience to wait until breakfast and had to deliver his mum's Halloween treats right then. Then it wouldn't leave until it had treats in its beak.

Thirty _two _minutes. She was going to _kill _him and then probably deduct points just because she could. She was a rather strict prefect.

Practically skidding into the Great Hall, Liam was greeted with a crowd of students, pushing and clambering over each other, their voices hushed and anxious. They were all struggling to see something – it looked like the newspaper from afar, but Liam wasn't sure.

But where was Eleanor?

Standing on his toes, Liam scanned the crowd, but everyone was moving, running from place to place with whatever news they were sharing. She wasn't at the table – only two Ravenclaws were still sitting down. She had to be in the crowd and he wasn't going to find her-

A blur of blonde curls and dark robes pushed past him and he was only able to see her for a split second, her head down and feet quick.

"Elean-"

She didn't even stop to say something. Before he even blinked again, she was gone.

Suddenly, Suzanne was next to him, pulling on his arm impatiently and pushing an object into his chest. "Come on."

She was insistent, dragging him along presumably to follow Eleanor. He struggled with the object now in his hands, trying to unfold what was the Daily Prophet and hurry down the corridor at the same time. He opened the paper just enough to read the headline:

_YOU-KNOW-WHO DEFEATED_

Liam blinked a couple times, his heart skipping a few beats and then quickly skimmed the next lines.

_Baby Harry Potter...parents James and Lily Potter killed...Harry lives...You-Know-How killed by a one-year-old..._

His heart was now hammering against his chest and he only kept walking because of Suzanne's grip. James and Lily and Harry – they seemed so happy when he saw them just a couple months ago and now...

His eyes landed on another familiar name and he stumbled, almost knocking Suzanne over.

_Sirius Black__ kills 13 muggles and __Peter Pettigrew__..._

It had to be a joke. He wouldn't kill anyone. Eleanor had good judgment. Her sister had good judgment. She wouldn't have dated a murderer. She wouldn't have-

Finally, Suzanne was pulling him into the common room and they both immediately stopped in the entrance.

When he saw Eleanor after her sister's death three years ago, he was taken aback and hesitated before talking to her. He had been afraid of how she'd act toward him and didn't know whether or not she wanted him there or wanted to be left alone...

This was different. There were no tears, just large eyes staring at the wall, while her expression remained completely blank. But her legs were pulled up to her body and she was in the fetal position as she bit down hard on her lip. And, even though it was barely noticeable, he could see the way her body shivered.

Liam let out a slow breath, wanting to see the tears. It would have been better than the image in front of him because the girl on the couch looked irrevocably broken.

Instead of hesitating, he wanted to go right over to her and tell her that everything was okay and he wasn't going to leave her and he just wanted to comfort her and see her smile – even just a small smile, he wanted just one...

But before he could take a step forward, Suzanne was pulling him back. "She needs to be left alone," Suzanne whispered, barely audible.

Liam shook his head. "I can't just leave her there like that-"

"Don't," Suzanne cut him off. "Just give her some time. Please?"

"No," Liam insisted, "She needs somebody and I'm that somebody-"

With an alarming amount of strength, Suzanne pushed him down in the closest chair. "You're not allowed to move from this chair."

"Suzanne-"

"Liam-" she repeated, slamming her hands down on the arms of the chair.

He rolled his eyes, trying to look past Suzanne to catch a glimpse of Eleanor, but Suzanne was blocking his view. "So, basically, you want me to sit here all day and just...look at her instead of helping her?"

"Yes."

Liam stopped himself from saying what a stupid idea it was, even though he really wanted to explain himself. But he knew Suzanne well enough to know she wouldn't budge on her stance and it was worthless to argue.

"Fine," Liam mumbled, sitting back with a loud sigh.

His eyes fell on Eleanor and by the way she was still staring blankly at the wall, he assumed she didn't hear any of their conversation. Or maybe she was trying to ignore it; he wasn't sure anymore.

Suzanne left without saying anything else to him, leaving Eleanor and Liam alone in the common room. Eleanor's eyes never strayed over to Liam, even though he never took his eyes off of her. He knew she had to feel it; he wasn't barely blinking in fear of missing something, but Eleanor never moved. Instead, he watched as she breathed – short, jerky breaths that made it clear that she was holding back her tears.

All he had to do was go over and say something to her, but Suzanne's words kept repeating in his head and he didn't want Suzanne to walk in on them. Maybe she was right. Maybe Eleanor really did need some space. Maybe she didn't want to talk to him about it. She had Suzanne now, not just him, and he wasn't going to be the first one she talked to anymore.

Though when Suzanne came in around noon and tried to get Eleanor to eat a sandwich, Eleanor wouldn't even talk to her. She only kept staring at that one place on the wall as if tearing her gaze away would cause her to break down.

"See," Suzanne said to him with a shrug. "She doesn't want to talk to anyone right now."

He wondered how long Eleanor could just sit there, staring and struggling to breathe. He was hungry and thirsty and really wanted to get up and stretch his legs, but couldn't when Eleanor was still sitting there.

He only left for ten minutes to find some snacks and use the restroom, quickly scrambling back to the common room to reclaim his seat. Eleanor hadn't moved.

"She hasn't moved all day," Liam told Suzanne after twelve hours of sitting in that same chair.

Suzanne took in a deep breath and looked at him with a frown. "I know." She couldn't find anything else to say.

It was an hour later when Eleanor finally dozed off, her head nodding to the side before curling up into the side of the couch. Since Suzanne had gone to bed, Liam took the opportunity to run up to his dormitory to grab his blanket, covering Eleanor without Suzanne's pestering. He stood in front of her, watching her stir and grab onto the comforter.

Teetering on his feet, he faltered, wondering exactly what to do. He couldn't leave Eleanor by herself all night, but he couldn't bring her into the girls' dormitory. Looking behind him, he searched for something or someone to help him, but the common room was empty-

"You've been sitting over there all day."

Startled, he looked down to find she was awake, moving to sit up. Combing her fingers through her hair, she stared back at him with those round eyes.

"Uh-"

What was he supposed to say to that?

"Here, stay here." She moved slightly, making more than enough room for him next to her.

"What?" he stuttered somewhat, wincing at the sound of his voice.

She blinked, looking down at the floor. "You can sit here. If you want. Or you can go to bed, I just-" she stumbled on her words, looking up at him with a light shrug. "If you want," she repeated.

Liam nodded slightly, moving to sit down next to her. With a slow sigh, he realized he didn't know what to say and instead, stared straight ahead. He was supposed to be comforting her, but after sitting in that chair all day, he was exhausted and tired and his mind was jumbled.

Liam could still feel her shivering slightly and shivered himself, having to remind himself to breathe.

Suddenly, he heard a shaky breath and then Eleanor turned, curling into Liam like she did at Ivy's funeral so many years ago. But it wasn't awkward at all; instead, he immediately reacted, pulling her into him without a second thought.

"They-they weren't supposed to-" she mumbled into his chest, "weren't supposed to-" she trailed off, mumbling incoherently while hiccupping.

"It's okay," he said softly, resting his chin on her head, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving." Pressing a kiss into her hair to reassure her, he continued to mutter comforting words. He wasn't going to leave her. He couldn't. Not when it left her so broken. She couldn't lose anyone else.

And he had to make sure of it.

-x-

The slam of a door jolted Liam awake and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the bright light. Staring up, he watched the clouds pass over the mountains and...

He was in the common room. Bolting upright, he blinked a few times, running a hand through his messy hair. What was he doing in the common room? Did he fall asleep in here and-

Turning quickly to his side, he searched for her, but she wasn't there.

Liam steadied himself, staring up at the ceiling and trying to decipher if it was a dream. He didn't remember falling asleep in the common room. Eleanor wasn't even next to him-

"Hey."

Abruptly tearing his gaze off of the sky, he saw Eleanor standing in front of him, a weak smile on her face.

"Hi," he responded slowly, failing to give her a real smile. Instead, it was awkward and forced since he wasn't sure what to say.

She didn't seem to notice and gestured toward the dormitories. "Do you want to get ready before going down to breakfast?"

He nodded dumbly before moving to get off of the couch. He could feel her watching him as he pulled his blanket into his arms. All he wanted to do was ask her what had happened without sounding like an idiot. He wanted to know if she was uncomfortable, doing better, if she had stayed on the couch with him all night...

Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, he made his way to the dormitories.

"Liam?" He turned slightly to see Eleanor still standing in the same spot, nervously playing with her hands. "Thank you."

Somehow, she managed to answer everything in just two words.

* * *

So, I've decided to do this thing where I try to update twice a week. Not everyday like I used to, but at least on somewhat of a schedule. We shall see. I still have my spring class until the end of this month, but I'll work around it.

That being said, I have until ch. 29 written and there's a sneak peek from it on my profile. Thanks to Nicoley117-LadyBlueMartini for editing! And thanks for reading!


	25. Don't Stop

Eleanor sighed, pulling back her hair with a rubber band. It was only thirty minutes into patrol and at 9:30, many students were still wandering the halls. Though Neil and Eleanor usually patrolled the corridors together, they decided to split up because of the occasion – the week of Valentine's Day – especially after the older prefects badgered them to do so.

"Jolie, Turner, twenty points from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw!"

She actually didn't mind taking points away from her own house, even when the other students protested loudly and exclaimed she had no house spirit. It wasn't her fault they had broken the rules and she had to punish them for it. It was her job.

Eleanor was making her way down the seventh floor corridor when she saw someone familiar sitting down on the floor, staring at the wall. Eleanor slowed, analyzing the scene in front of her.

Why was Olivia staring at the wall?

Getting closer, Eleanor realized that Olivia was sitting across the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Her and Liam had discovered the room across the tapestry a year ago. She had thought no one else knew about the secret room, but it seemed as though Olivia had found it.

"Miss Rothe," Eleanor spoke loudly and Olivia jumped. She turned only slightly, catching Eleanor's gaze and then, without a word, went back to whatever the room was showing her.

"Olivia Rothe!" Eleanor repeated, "Do you want me to take-"

"Shh!" Olivia interrupted, "I don't have time to listen to you berate me right now."

Eleanor drew in a harsh breath, and then bit down on her lip in frustration. Turning sharply, she walked back and forth three times behind Olivia. A window immediately opened after her third turn, letting her see what Olivia was so enthralled with.

She should have known. Taking a seat next to Olivia, Eleanor leaned forward, watching with amusement even though she witnessed the exact situation hundred times.

"He hasn't stopped listening to this song since he got the record," Eleanor suddenly said, startling Olivia. "It's his favorite song, I think."

She could feel the Gryffindor's eyes on her, questioning why she wasn't yelling at her for being out after hours. But Eleanor knew Liam was getting frustrated and Olivia needed to understand, know, maybe to even have a real chance.

_ Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world  
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere  
Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit  
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere _

"Well, that's just great," Olivia murmured and Eleanor immediately picked up on the girl's sarcasm.

"I'm just trying-" Eleanor began to explain, but Olivia cut her off, her eyes darkening.

"I _know _what you're trying to explain. I know that you know him the best and I know you have what I can't ever have, but you don't need to go around and flaunt your knowledge about him. What's next? You're going to tell me about how amazing of a kisser he is or something-"

"I've never kissed him," Eleanor was quick to say, looking over at the girl.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"We're not together," Eleanor elaborated with a shake of the head. "We've never been together. We aren't...we aren't like that at all."

It was hard to explain, Eleanor concluded, especially when Olivia was dead set on fact that her and Liam were more than friends. Olivia wouldn't even listen to her; she kept rolling her eyes and shaking her head with all of Eleanor's words.

"Honestly, Olivia, he's my best friend. Why would I ruin that?"

"Because he's _Liam_ _Pritchard_," Olivia insisted. "Why _wouldn't_ you try something?"

Eleanor stole another glance at Liam who had a hairbrush clutched in his hand as he danced from one side of the room to the other.

_Working hard to get my fill  
__Everybody wants a thrill__  
Paying anything to roll the dice  
Just one more time_

Stifling a chuckle, Eleanor looked down, biting back the laugh and then glanced over at Olivia who was staring at her with wide eyes. "I don't want him like that," Eleanor finally announced, trying to put on a serious face.

Olivia only scoffed. Clearly, she was never going to change this girl's mind. Though it wasn't much help that Liam was dancing and singing along to Don't Stop Believing in front of her and all she wanted to do was laugh.

"You need him like that," Olivia protested.

Eleanor couldn't help but chuckle at how oblivious the girl was. " Olivia, I need him like a _friend_; I don't want him as anything more. I don't _need_ him as anything more. You can take him if you want, try to convince him to date you, and I'll even help you but-"

"You'll help?" Olivia's eyes grew even wider and a real smile appeared on her face, just like that, even though seconds ago she was scowling.

Eleanor nodded, sighing with the fact that she was _finally _getting it. "Yes, I'll help you seem less..._determined."_

Olivia blinked. "Determined?"

"He likes Journey." Eleanor chose to ignore her last question. "The band, I mean...as you probably can see."

They both turned back to the window overlooking the room to see Liam bounding from each side of the room to the next, belting each word.

_ Strangers waiting up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching in the night  
Streetlight people living just to find emotion  
Hiding somewhere in the night_

Olivia giggled. "It's cute."

"It's...special," Eleanor faltered, but Olivia smiled anyway.

"So, he likes Journey. Should I get him a record or-"

Eleanor shook her head. "No, no, he's got all of them. You could get him a shirt or some type of clothing. He likes wearing casual shirts during the weekends, so I think that'd be a good idea. Especially if it was a tour shirt."

Olivia blinked and then popped up on her feet within seconds. "I have to go!" she exclaimed, turning around and sprinting down the corridor. "Thanks Eleanor!" Eleanor heard her say before she was bounding down the steps.

Eleanor watched her leave, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of her mind to deduct points. Standing up, she watched Liam for a few more moments and then looked behind her to make sure no one was around.

He didn't notice her walking into the room, hands fumbling with her camera strap. His back was facing her when he sang "somewhere in the niiiight!" with exaggerated hand movements and then the guitar solo started. Just as he was getting into playing his air guitar, he spun around and realized Eleanor was standing right there.

Liam's hands immediately dropped to his sides and his mouth snapped shut. "Oh, hi, Eleanor," he mumbled, barely audible over the music. The way he was looking at her, she was sure he was waiting for the lecture ("you are out after hours, what are you doing listening to this, this is wasting valuable studying time...") but instead, Eleanor began laughing.

"What?" Liam asked, bewildered. "Why are you laughing? What did-"

"You've played this song at least a hundred times," Eleanor managed to say, "Honestly, do you love it _that_ much?"

The worry on his face disappeared and he grabbed her hand. "You know you love it too."

Eleanor shrugged, though the smile was still on her face.

"Come on," he urged, pulling on her hand. "I know for a fact you have memorized every word and you want to sing along right now."

She rolled her eyes but allowed him to twirl her in a gesture of getting her to loosen up. "Don't stop believing!" he sang to her dramatically. "Hold onto that feeeeeeling!"

Eleanor gave him a look, but joined in singing "streetlight people!" just to please him. Though his smile faded when she took the first picture of him singing into the hairbrush.

-x-

Two rowdy students delayed Eleanor from getting to breakfast on time and when she arrived, Olivia was already making her way over to the Ravenclaw table, something in her hands. Stopping inside the doorway, Eleanor waited, watching the scene unfold.

"Hi, Liam," she saw Olivia say with a slight smile. Eleanor nodded, noticing how Olivia didn't look at crazed as normal. She took the "determined" advice to heart.

He looked up at her and blinked a couple times before saying hello in return. She could see the apprehension on Liam's face, but she knew he wouldn't turn Olivia down after a simple greeting.

"How are you today?"

Liam shrugged slightly. "Fine. You...feeling okay?"

Olivia laughed softly and nodded. "Yeah, I just...I was wondering if you wanted these." Then she was holding some sort of paper in front of Liam's face.

He took them carefully and paused, looking at them for a long time. "What-"

"They're Journey tickets. Two of them. I know you like the band and all, so I was wondering if you wanted them and-"

"O-of course," Liam stuttered, his eyes widening. He stared down at the tickets, his mouth open in shock and then looked back up at Olivia with a smile. "Wow, this is-wow, thanks!" He stood up, grasping onto Olivia's hand excitedly.

Eleanor could practically see Olivia stop breathing.

"Y-you're welcome," she faltered.

Liam began to look around the room and his gaze stopped on Eleanor. "Hey, Eleanor, do you want to go to the Journey concert with me?"

Eleanor winced just as Olivia's expression dropped, her eyes closing in realization.

"Um," Eleanor looked between them, noticing the way Olivia was trying everything not to cry. "I'll have to think about it and-"

"Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea," Olivia suddenly said, pushing herself away from Liam. "I have to go and eat so, bye."

Liam didn't even notice, sitting back down at the table and grabbing something to eat.

"Olivia," Eleanor said, stepping in front of the girl but she only shook her head violently.

"It's okay. I should have known that it was never going to work."

"Boys are just...dense," Eleanor tried to offer some consolation. She couldn't even find anything else to say. She was disappointed in Liam for not giving Olivia a chance, but she understood why he didn't. Her and Liam were close, and of course he would think of her first. He wasn't trying to be mean to Olivia.

"Dense?" Olivia shrugged at the word. "Maybe."

"Sorry." Eleanor fumbled inside her bookbag, bringing out a snapshot she took last night. "Here, take it."

Olivia blinked, looking down at the photo in her hands. Liam looked especially crazy in it: one hand in the air and the other holding the hairbrush. With a soft laugh, Olivia murmured a "thanks" before making her way back over to the Gryffindor table.

Eleanor didn't blame her. There was nothing left to say.

* * *

Thank you to Akierin for reading this over for me.

See, I promised another chapter. And it's the title chapter! Lighthearted (sort of, at least the first part) especially after the last chapter of doom and woe. So, I hope I made you smile today.

Thanks for reading!


	26. Saturday Night

With no class the next morning, Saturday nights were the worst in Liam's dormitory. It was rowdy and often uncomfortable, so since second year, Liam refused to spend time in his dormitory on the weekend. It wasn't as though he disliked his roommates; he just wanted quiet. But, at the beginning of 5th year, he decided to give his roommates a chance and he found himself spending weekend nights studying on his bed instead. After all, it couldn't be that bad to socialize with his roommates.

It only took a couple weeks to see the invalidity in his presumption.

"You broke up with Audrey Pope?" Liam heard his roommate Diego say loudly. He was trying to ignore their conversation by hiding behind a book, but it was simply impossible. He didn't know how Eleanor could manage to ignore everything by having a book in front of her face.

Glancing up, he saw Joseph shrug indifferently, then throw Diego a scowl just for good measure. "She was too clingy. Every time I turned around, she was right there. Couldn't deal with that."

"But-" Harrison then spoke up, "she was really-"

"Fine? Oh, I know," Joseph interrupted him, "but there's always more girls; I don't need to settle down with a crazy one."

"She's not crazy-" Neil exclaimed, always the one to try to see reason, but he was drowned out by the rest of his roommates laughing.

"I'm thinking about Amy Sutton-"

"No!" Diego was furiously shaking his head. "You told me you're staying away from her because I've been to the library numerous times over the past couple months trying to get her to like me – you know how she is!"

"So?" Joseph's lip curled. "I bet I could do that in a day."

"Don't even-"

Liam rolled his eyes, pushing himself farther back on his bed to get away from the conversation. He knew that Joseph was the experienced with girls; he seemed to have a new one every month. All he had to do was give a girl his smile and lean across the table with a raised eyebrow and he had them.

He wasn't such a bad roommate though. He always got his work done on time, kept his side of the dormitory very clean, and would stop to say hello in the corridors. It was just how he spoke – having no respect for the opposite sex – that got on Liam's last nerve.

"Amy Sutton really isn't my type-" he heard Joseph saying, "I swear her skirt is longer than everyone else's. I thought there was supposed to be some sort of dress code that allowed you to see some skin."

Liam always wondered if his roommates wanted him to join in on their conversation, but he didn't know if Amy Sutton's skirt was longer or if Audrey Pope was crazy.

"It is longer," Harrison said softly. "I compared it once to Eleanor's-"

Liam peeked over his book, watching his roommate's reactions.

He saw Joseph's eyes light up. "Speaking of Eleanor Bennett, she could really do with undoing a couple buttons on her blouse. She doesn't have to button it up all the way to the collar – show something at least-"

Liam's fingers flexed, his grip on the book tightening.

"Something, you know – I mean, if she just loosened up, can you imagine-"

Taking in a deep breath, he tried to still his shaking hands, but he could hear Joseph go on and on and he couldn't block it out.

"Hey Liam!"

Liam looked up quickly, biting down on his tongue.

"How much have you seen?" Liam could taste blood but ignored it. "You've got to have to see more than any of us – does she put on a little show for you – you know, when you're alone and-"

"Shut up," Liam said through clenched teeth. "Just shut up."

Joseph's eyebrows raised and he looked back at the rest of the guys. "Is it private then? So, she's different when you get to know her? Do you think she'll show me more if I-"

Liam stood up, ready to give his spiel about Joseph knowing nothing about respect and relationships, but he couldn't even think straight. His fingers itched to form into a fist and just punch Joseph right in the nose, but instead, he glared and tried to catch his breath.

"What?" Joseph asked, looking almost innocent.

There was a long pause where they stared at each other, Joseph with his little smirk and Liam with a hardened gaze. "You guys are sick," he finally murmured before turning around and leaving his roommates with no answers.

-x-

"You do know it's midnight."

Liam jumped when he realized Eleanor was sitting in front of the fireplace, probably listening to him murmur to himself about how stupid his roommates were. He had only been down there for a couple seconds and didn't realize she was sitting right there. She wasn't supposed to be in the common room; she was supposed to be sleeping already and he wasn't supposed to deal with this whole thing until tomorrow.

"Uh..." He stopped in front of her, not even remotely sure what to say. He couldn't tell her what his roommates said. But he couldn't pretend nothing happened. He didn't know what to do anymore and she was just staring up at him from her seat on the couch with no clue what had happened.

"What are you doing awake?" she asked instead, moving aside for him to sit.

But Liam couldn't sit. He couldn't even breathe. He couldn't think straight.

"Are you sick?" And then she was leaning forward to stand up in front of him, pressing a hand against his forehead. "You aren't warm."

Liam gulped, trying not to think of Joseph's words but they kept replaying in his head over and over again. They never – he would never -

"What's wrong?"

She wasn't going to give up. He couldn't lie to her.

Dropping his gaze to the floor, he let out a slow breath and muttered, "My roommates were just talking about you." He didn't dare look at her, but he heard her "oh?" He wasn't going to tell her. He wasn't. He wasn't. "They...they were saying things about you that were..."

"Were?" she pressed.

"Absolutely and sickeningly inappropriate," Liam let out in a mess of words.

He expected her to be surprised or disgusted but when he chanced a look at her, she had a blank expression. "Oh, really?"

It was downhill from there. "They were saying things about you and your – and they really shouldn't – it was just all – I'll go back and punch them if you want, all I did was yell at them and leave and I could have-"

"Liam!" Eleanor's hand was pressing into his shoulder blade, causing him to lose his balance but it made him stop rambling. He instead stared at her with wide eyes, waiting for her reaction.

But she just shrugged, pulling on his hand and making him sit down on the couch next to her. "It's okay-"

"It's not!" he interrupted her. Joseph's words wouldn't get out of his head and it was taking him everything not to look at Eleanor's blouse.

And she didn't even know and all she was doing was giving him a strange look. "I'm fine with it-"

"No, listen, I'd never-"

When he stumbled on his words, he could tell she was analyzing him. "This is really upsetting you, isn't it?" He only continued his determined gaze on the floor. "Look, you don't have to fight for my honor. I can deal with it, Liam."

"But they-"

"They're boys, of course they're going to say things like that."

She didn't understand. "But I'm not like that!"

Her eyes narrowed accusingly and Liam found himself blinking a few times before asking, "Why are you giving me that look?"

"You're still a boy, Liam and we're not eleven anymore. I've accepted that things are bound to change between us and I thought you understood that too."

He must have looked like an idiot by the way he was staring at her with his mouth dropped open. "What changed?"

She wouldn't answer him. Instead, she gave him another look and Liam understood she was talking about the most awkward thing ever – their _bodies._

"Seriously?" He just felt like curling into a ball on the couch and trying to figure out everything for the next couple hours. He had no clue where anything stood. He felt like he didn't even know Eleanor anymore, especially with the way she wasn't even upset by Joseph's remarks. "Is this how it feels like to grow up?" he muttered to himself.

He heard Eleanor laugh and then add, "Don't worry about your roommates. I know what they've been saying; Suzanne told me the other day. Personally, I don't see any problem with dressing modestly. I swear, they act as though I don't know my own body and unconsciously decide to dress like this-"

"Please stop talking," Liam cut her off, "I can't...I don't know what to think anymore."

She wasn't helping by the way she wouldn't stop laughing.

* * *

AkieriN is awesome and helped me bunches. So thank you AkieriN!

Oh, Joseph Carrington, I love you and your awfulness. Love him too, guys. He's pretty interesting.

Thanks for reading!


	27. Her Revenge

_The three main ingredients of the Draught of Living Death are asphodel in an infusion of wormwood, valerian roots, and sopophorous beans. While mixing_

A hand suddenly crept over the page and then a doodle of a lopsided smiley face interrupted her sentence. Eleanor's head snapped up, meeting Liam's amused eyes. Even as she glared at him, she wasn't able to make him feel guilty for messing up her essay; he only shrugged, looking at her with a smirk that made Eleanor roll her eyes.

She watched him play with a quill for a few seconds and then run a hand through his hair, something he had been doing all day. She supposed it was bothering him since it was getting longer, but she only saw the motion as procrastination.

"What are you supposed to be doing?" she asked, and as he opened his mouth to say something, she cut him off. "I don't know if you realize, Liam, but O.W.L.S. are in three months and I'm positive you don't know everything-"

There was that grin again. "Are you stressing out _already_?"

"I don't understand why you're not working," she vaguely replied, pulling out another piece of parchment to rewrite her Potions essay. As she began to write her name in the corner, she heard him sight loudly and then there was a dull thud as he hit his head on the table.

"I don't want to study today," he murmured, his voice muffled.

"What kind of Ravenclaw are you?"

He stared at her for a second and then replied, "A sane one."

The corners of her mouth turned upward at his response and then she went back to work copying her essay. Liam sighed loudly and went back to doodling on the discarded piece of parchment.

Eleanor knew Liam was getting a bit "stir crazy" spending all of their Saturday in the library, but as she constantly had to remind him, O.W.L.S. were only months away and Eleanor _needed _to do well or she would never forgive herself. It was everything she had spent the past years working toward and-

"What is wrong with you!"

The sudden yell sounded from nowhere amidst the gentle murmurings of the library. Liam immediately straightened and Eleanor glanced up, quill pausing.

A sudden book flew across the aisle between the bookshelves and Eleanor cringed as two familiar people came into view. It wasn't much of a surprise anymore; Marnie and her boyfriend of two months, Elijah Bell, were always bickering about everything. With Marnie's temper, it usually ended up escalating into a huge fight over everything little and trivial. Elijah didn't notice her new barrette? Twenty minute screaming match. He accidentally missed her before dinner? Cold shoulder for the rest of the week.

"I didn't even _do _anything!" Elijah began defending himself, but Marnie only threw another book at his face.

Grabbing her things on the table, Eleanor quickly packed them into her bookbag and stood abruptly.

"What are you doing?" Liam tried to whisper, probably afraid Marnie was going to hear and unleash her wrath on them. She didn't even have to touch them: it was all about the emotional pain.

"I'm going to tell Madam Pince that they're destroying library property."

Liam blinked, looking back at the fighting couple only meters away and then back at Eleanor. "You're mental."

"C'mon." She grabbed onto his sleeve, pulling him out of his seat and toward the front of the library to find Madam Pince.

"Excuse me," Eleanor said, stopping in front of the desk that Madam Pince was peering over, "but there's two Ravenclaw students making a ruckus back in the southeast corner of the library."

The librarian's eyes narrowed before she hobbled off to the back to the library, murmuring about inconsiderate students.

"You...you two sleep in the same dormitory. She's going to _kill _you," Liam exclaimed, his voice dropping to a whisper even though the library doors were shut behind them.

Eleanor shrugged, walking briskly down the corridor. "She was disrupting my studies."

"Did you hear me? She's going to _kill _you in your sleep when you least expect it and I'm going to have to plan your funeral with your _parents. _Please don't subject me to that-" Liam suddenly turned, grabbing her shoulders to halt her steps. "I'm _serious_." Eleanor could have rolled her eyes at the wide-eyed look Liam was giving her, but she stopped herself. "She may not _kill_ you, per say, but she can torture you in other ways, I'm sure and I don't want to see you having to deal with that, okay?"

"I'm not five," Eleanor insisted.

"I _know." _He let go of her shoulders. "You always stop me from doing stupid things and I'm just returning the favor."

With a smile, Eleanor slowly said, "Thank you, Liam, but honestly, she's not that bad. She'll be angry, yes, but it'll pass and then everything will be fine."

He stared at her for a long second and then turned away with a sigh. "Okay."

She knew he still wanted to argue about Marnie, but Eleanor was done with complaining about the girl. After living with her for five years, she recognized Marnie's mood swings and how quickly they would disappear. Suzanne managed to get in Marnie's way one morning and after the loud cursing and yelling, breakfast was calm like nothing had happened. Even though she could be quite vicious, it always went away after a couple hours. All she had to do was avoid Marnie.

They were outside of the Great Hall when Liam halted. "I forgot my bag," he said, turning to Eleanor. "I can just go and get it real quick – it won't take long."

"Wait." Eleanor moved aside for the students making their way into the Hall and peered inside, glancing at the Ravenclaw table. "Suzanne's not here yet-"

She paused as he gave her a look – a mix of amusement and that 'I told you so' arrogance. "Are you worried about being left alone?"

"No," she replied, "I just wanted to see if Suzanne was already here so I could sit with her until you got back."

"Why do you need someone to sit with?" Liam retorted just as quick.

"No reason." She didn't want to deal with Marnie, that was all.

"Right."

Behind Liam, Eleanor caught a glimpse of a couple quickly making their way toward the Great Hall. She didn't even need a second glance to know that Marnie and Elijah going to dinner.  
"I'll just be going then," Liam exclaimed, oblivious to Eleanor's distraction.

Eleanor watched him go, hoping that Marnie was just going to pass by and not make any comments to him about the library incident. Liam wasn't even directly involved and maybe she didn't even realize Eleanor said anything. Maybe she wasn't that upset by it. She seemed too preoccupied with Elijah anyway.

"You're supposed to go with _me _to the Hogsmeade trips – not your other boyfriend or whoever he is-" Elijah was yelling. Marnie's yelling had set him off.

"You don't _control _me!" Marnie snapped back. "I'm not _yours, _I can have anyone I want, thank you very much and I don't need your permission!"

They were only a few meters away again and Liam was walking by when Marnie suddenly wheeled around. Eleanor locked eyes with her and bit down on her lip, waiting for the onslaught of curses, but they never came.

Eleanor thought Marnie was going to hit Liam by the way she strode over, stopping in front of him. But instead, she grabbed his face and brought it down to hers, crushing his lips against hers.

It was awkward and frantic; Marnie kept pressing her body against him, and Liam was just standing there. She moved, bending down, pulling on his hair before breaking it off with a loud breath.

Liam was wide-eyed, staring straight ahead while Elijah looked like he was about to kill. But Marnie didn't seem to notice as she sent a glare Elijah's way before practically sashaying into the Great Hall, only stopping for a moment to throw Eleanor a victorious smirk.

"Marnie, you-you _can't-_" Elijah shouted, stomping after her.

The shouting brought Liam out of his stupor and he turned to face Eleanor with huge, frightened eyes. "I'm sorry-"

Eleanor blinked, still standing far away.

"I didn't mean to – she just –"

She let go of her lip that was still between her teeth, the breath she was holding finally escaping.

"I couldn't get away. Don't scream, just don't yell. Please don't hate me."

Slowly, she began shaking her head, never letting her eyes stray away from him. He was staring at her, still with those frightened eyes, waiting for the yelling. He wasn't even saying "I told you so" and exclaiming that he was right all along.

"Say something, please."

Eleanor brought her hand up to her mouth to try to hide it, but she couldn't and soon she was laughing so hard, her whole body was shaking. "Wow," Eleanor managed to say, still shaking her head through her laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" He was now in front of her, the fear on his face more noticeable. He looked frantic as though as expected this to end everything between them. Just a simple kiss – one that wasn't even reciprocated. How could he possibly think that she would be angry? His fear only made it amusing.

"Let's go," Eleanor said, subduing her laughter enough to grab his hand and put on a straight face.

"Eleanor?"

She didn't even know why she was amused by the whole thing, but all she could do was laugh. Maybe she was supposed to be angry that Marnie snogged her best friend, maybe she was supposed to start an argument with her. But seeing Liam so helpless in this situation made her only _laugh_.

"You're not angry?" Liam was pestering her with questions as they sat down at the Ravenclaw table.

"I wish I had my camera to take a picture of your face," she told him with a smile.

Liam was giving her an incredulous look, probably too speechless to respond and then looked down the table. "She keeps looking over here," he finally said, "I _told _you she'd get back at you."

"Getting to me through you?" Eleanor exclaimed, making Liam raise his eyebrows. "She snogged you and now my life is over? How _dare_ she."

Liam was definitely not in the mood to joke around. He was staring at her like she was insane. "Who are you and what did you do with Eleanor?"

Eleanor shrugged, looking over at him with a smile. "So, did you enjoy it?"

His mouth dropped open. "Stop, you are _awful_."

Chuckling at the look on his face, Eleanor enjoyed his confusing mutterings through the rest of dinner.

* * *

Thank you again to AkieriN for editing!

So, here's some Liam/Marnie. Lovely couple, don't you think? I think they're just _made for each other._

Thanks to everyone for reading and especially to the people who keep reviewing every chapter!_  
_


	28. The Parents

It took a lot of convincing to get Eleanor to leave Hogwarts for Easter break. After all, Easter break was for studying and not goofing around. Liam tried everything – begging, pleading, bribing and finally, getting on his knees in front of her while spewing off some story about being kidnapped at the Journey concert for being such an easy target there by himself. She sighed after his exclamation and shrugged, muttering her okay.

However, it was only now, when he was sitting across from her on the train, when he realized the flaw in his plan. They were going to Eleanor's house and Liam was quite positive they had no clue he was even coming.

"Did you tell them anything?" he asked her.

She turned, glancing at him before looking out of the window. "Like how you're going to be on our doorstep? No, they have no clue."

Liam swallowed the lump in his throat. "Do they even know why you're coming home?"

"To visit."

"Visit? Just visit?"

She glanced at him, annoyed. "What else am I supposed to say to them? I'm going to be the one to deal with my mother and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the onslaught of nagging questions-"

Liam shrugged. "You could have...warned them or something. I don't know."

The corner of her mouth twitched. "Liam's coming, beware!"

"I'm so dangerous," Liam deadpanned.

"To my parents, you are," she reminded him, leaned forward on the window. "I've just got to explain in a certain way that we're just going to see a concert and we're not going to be sexually active with each other in the hours that we're unsupervised."

"Right," Liam agreed, suppressing a laugh. "Because when we're at Hogwarts, that's all we do."

Eleanor chuckled. "You should read some of her letters. Sometimes, I think she's bribing Professor Dumbledore to check up on me."

Liam could see that very scenario happening in his head much too vividly. After a pause, a thought occurred to him and he shivered. "Your parents aren't coming to pick you up, are they?"

"No," Eleanor said, resulting in a breath of relief. "They're allowing me to get a cab which they've never done before. I hope they don't suspect anything."

They exchanged a look and Liam sat back in his seat with a loud sigh. If he was going to make it out of the Bennett residence alive, he was either going to have to charm her parents into loving him or hope that Eleanor was going to be as convincing as possible.

He had a sinking feeling none of it was going to work. He would have to leave Eleanor at home while he went to the concert alone. What fun would it be to stand there alone? It was still Journey, but he needed somebody there to share it with.

They didn't speak a word to each other the rest of the trip. Even the cab ride was silent; the driver kept looking in his rear view mirror, his eyebrows furrowed as if waiting for a loud conversation from the two teenagers. Liam tried to keep his hands in his lap, but he was fidgeting, holding onto the seat and then the door handle and the seat again.

Disaster.

It was going to be a disaster – complete chaos.

Eleanor stared straight ahead the whole ride and Liam knew she was memorizing her speech. She was nervous, he could tell by the way she was forgetting to blink.

She finally said something when they were standing in front of steps of the house.

"Maybe you should wait outside."

He immediately shook his head. "I'm not going to let you go in there alone."

"It's my house, not a death trap," Eleanor exclaimed, "Maybe waiting outside the dining room then? Just so my mum can't chastise you about every little thing you do."

"Fine," he agreed, "But let me help you if-"

"No," Eleanor interrupted him, giving him a glare, "I don't want you to come in no matter what happens. Stay out of sight until it sounds like she's agreeing. She won't want you there, promise."

He nodded, though he wanted to keep arguing and she pulled on his hand to lead him inside. The hallway was empty but Liam could hear the footsteps of someone in an adjoining room.  
"Mum?" Eleanor called out.

"In here!"

The voice came from the farthest room, making Liam jump and Eleanor pull him down the end of the hallway. "This wall, I want you to stay next to it and don't move."

Liam rolled his eyes, flattening himself against the wall. "Why don't you just use a leg locker charm on me?"

"I would if I could," she muttered before opening the door next to Liam and disappearing inside the room.

Liam sighed, sliding down the wall to sit. Even though it was slightly muffled, he could hear every word being said. It started off pleasant, an exchange of "welcome home"s and "how are you"s. But then it got dreadfully silent and Liam cringed as Eleanor said his name.

"You want to what?" her mother said, her voice dropping suddenly, barely nothing more than a low growl.

"It's just a concert, mum," Eleanor quickly said, "With Liam Pritchard, you remember him? He's really responsible, a Ravenclaw like me-"

"With that boy?"

He cringed again.

"Yes, that boy."

"Eleanor, I thought you were smarter than this."

"Than what?" He could hear Eleanor's voice raise. "Just because I have Liam as a friend and I want to go out and do something, I'm not smart?"

"What am I supposed to expect? You bring him to your own sister's funeral and instead of being with your family, like you're supposed to do in a time of grievance."

"He helped me!"

"You don't have any other friends, Eleanor. Is he controlling your life?"

He heard Eleanor falter over the question. "What?"

"Is he trying to ruin your friendship with other girls because he wants you all to himself? Sometimes, I think you don't even want to come home during the holidays and see us anymore!"  
"You don't even know him!" she yelled. It was the first time he had ever heard her raise her voice. "You're judging everything on the fact that I needed someone back when I was twelve. It doesn't make any sense!"

"I'm not going to allow you to get hurt!"

"Hurt?" Eleanor laughed. "It's not about seeing me get hurt. It's about losing another child."

There was a sudden silence, heavy and almost suffocating. Liam didn't dare to breathe, even though he wasn't in the room. He knew Eleanor probably regretted saying it, but she wasn't going to take it back.

"What are you saying?" Mrs. Bennett said and Liam heard the warning note in her voice.

"Everything has to do with losing me like you lost Ivy," Eleanor repeated, "You never liked Sirius because he drove a motorcycle and he had that reputation-"

"Which was true!"

There was a sharp intake of breath. "Even so," Eleanor said slowly, "Liam doesn't. He's just a boy, a nice boy, and in your eyes, that makes him a threat to you. He's going to take me away and you'll be left with no one. You think you and dad will be alone and you won't have any children left-"

"Now, excuse me, Eleanor Bennett-"

"But it's wrong," Eleanor continued, "because I'm not going anywhere. I may not be ten years old anymore, but I'm not going to disappear. With or without Liam, I'm still your daughter and I can't just leave you-"

"I'm not worried about losing you! I'm worried about the influence of that boy and how much he's changing you. Do you hear yourself? You would have never disrespected your own mother like this before you met him."

Liam groaned, putting his head in his hands and looking down at the floor. There was no way to win this argument.

"Disrespect?" Eleanor repeated. "I'm not disrespecting you! I'm only trying to make you see-"

"Make me see what, Eleanor? That you should be able to run around with any boy under my roof?"

The creak of the floor made Liam quickly glance up. Standing in front of him was Eleanor's father.

Her father.

As if it couldn't get any worse.

Groaning, Liam leaned back and hit his head on the wall. He couldn't even look. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed, he could make himself believe that none of it was happening.

"Worried?" Mr. Bennett suddenly spoke, causing Liam to open his eyes and face reality.

"A bit frightened to death, yeah," Liam said, then cringed at his informal choice of words.

But Eleanor's father only smiled, looking briefly toward the door. The argument was getting louder and louder and Liam could barely hear his own thoughts.

"I just want to go to a concert with him, mum! Just a concert."

Liam sighed. Even if it was just a concert, Mrs. Bennett wasn't going to allow her to go anywhere with him. All because he accidentally bumped into her at Ivy's funeral and messed up everything by that one little mishap.

Liam glanced up, waiting for Eleanor's father to chime in about how he messed up everything as well. But he didn't look angry – just thoughtful.

It was scaring Liam even more than the argument in the next room.

"What's the argument about?" Mr. Bennett then asked, almost too simply.

Liam fidgeted. "I – I want to take Eleanor to see Journey tonight and – they're fighting about...the concert and me, I guess," he said, and then added quickly, "sir."

Then her father was staring Liam down and he couldn't breathe. "Stand up." Liam scrambled to his feet.

So, this was the father/boy-who-wants-to-be-around-his-daughter showdown that happened in so many novels. Even though he had no reason to be worried, Liam could feel his heart start beating erratically and had to gulp to keep breathing.

"You care about her?"

"Yes."

"You won't hurt her?"

"Never."

"You know what will happen if you do?"

Liam paused. "I'd deserve any punishment you'd see fit if I hurt her."

The older man blinked twice. "Good answer."

Liam only nodded.

A shadow of a smile appeared on Mr. Bennett's face as he took a step toward the door. "I'll go and speak with Sarah," he said, "Maybe I can get her to see reason. You take care of Eleanor, you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Liam responded immediately.

As soon as Mr. Bennett stepped inside the room, Eleanor made her way out, looking completely confused and slightly frazzled. "What happened?" She eyed the door, almost as if she couldn't believe her father went in there.

Liam hesitated, then: "Your dad just gave me permission to date you."

Her gaze snapped back to him. "He did?"

He didn't have any clue how to respond. "Um-"

Eleanor smiled. "That's great."

"Great?" Liam repeated, raising an eyebrow. Even though there was no sarcasm in her tone, she had to be joking. _Great_?

With a soft shrug, she explained, "It's great. If my father thinks you're good enough to date me, then he'll definitely approve of our friendship. What did you say to him to change his mind?"

"Not much." He couldn't tell her about their whole conversation, not about what he said about her and how her father threatened him. "Do you want me to tell him-" he began, but Eleanor interrupted him abruptly.

"No."

"No?" he repeated her words for the millionth time that day, sounding almost desperate when he added, "why?"

Eleanor shrugged again. Liam could have yelled in frustration at her indifference but he only bit down on his lip and stared at her. "He might change his mind," she explained, "If he thinks this is a date, then he'll let us go because he doesn't want to get in the middle of it-"

"But that doesn't-" he began to blurt out.

Eleanor sighed loudly. "Well, I'm sorry you don't want to be dating me-"

Just as Liam opened his mouth to answer, the door behind them opened with a loud creak, diverting their attention. Liam straightened as both of Eleanor's parents came out of the room, her father leading the way with a blank expression. Her mother was frowning, making Liam hesitate to draw in a breath.

"Eleanor."

Liam never really paid much attention to the relationship between Eleanor and her parents, but judging by the wide doe-eyes and the soft "yes?" in response, he could conclude that she was daddy's girl. Certainly not a mother's child. He was only noticing to distract himself as long as possible from the wrath of the parents.

"We've-" Mr. Bennett looked behind him and Liam saw Mrs. Bennett's frown deepen, if possible. He winced. "-decided to let you go to the concert."

He could breathe. Speechless, but could finally breathe.

"Oh, thank you!" Eleanor exclaimed, but her father then gave her a stern look. "I expect a present in return. Maybe a shirt like his." He nodded over to Liam and Liam looked down at his black Escape Journey shirt. Nodding frantically, Liam watched as Mr. Bennett smiled and pulled in Eleanor for a hug. Eleanor escaped up the staircase, leaving Liam with her parents yet again.

Liam took in a shaky breath as an awkward pause fell on them. What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to say thank you? Keep quiet? Not say anything at all?

"Journey, huh?" Eleanor's father suddenly spoke. Liam nodded. "You like them?"

Liam could have explained his love for Journey in a long, elaborate speech, but left it to a "yes sir."

Mr. Bennett 'hmm'ed and then nodded. "I rather enjoy them too."

The disapproving expression on Mrs. Bennett's face must have meant that she didn't agree.

After another minute of long, agonizing silence, Liam heard Eleanor come down the stairs. It was only a couple minutes, and yet she had time to change into a ruffled skirt and plain blouse.

Eleanor immediately grabbed his hand and began pulling him out of the door, so fast he couldn't concentrate on the long speech her father was giving. The door closed behind them and Liam heard silence – blissful, non-awkward silence – for the first time in what seemed like days.

"You okay?" Eleanor asked as if nothing happened.

Liam took in a deep breath. "I...think I'll be okay," he said slowly. His mind was still reeling and he couldn't think straight. Everything was just weird.

"Hey, breathe." She laughed, pushing him slightly. "We're going to see Journey, your favorite band of all time _live_."

He tried to formulate a reasonable response, to say something worthwhile, something about how excited he was for the concert and how happy he was still alive. But instead, there was just silence.

"Journey, Liam, Journey," Eleanor suddenly exclaimed. "You know, _any way you want it, that's the way you need it, any way you want it_!"

Liam blinked at her.

Eleanor narrowed her eyes. "You know you want to sing the next lyrics."

Forcing a smile on his face, Liam added, "_She loves to laugh, she loves to sing, she loves everything_." Pausing, he looked over at her. "I bet that's the song they're going to open with."

She laughed as they continued down the road. "Well, I bet it's Don't Stop Believing."

"It's a bet then."

* * *

AkieriN is awesome, as always. Thank youuu.

Oh, the parents. I love them a lot. Almost as much as Joseph Carrington. I'm currently writing chapter 34 which involves the return of everyone's favorite dejected stalker and Liam trying to drown himself in snow. It doesn't work.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! You're awesome.


	29. OWL Studying

Eleanor turned over in her bed, pulling her calendar onto the bed. "THREE WEEKS" was written in bold ink on today's date and Eleanor took a second to mentally calculate the number of hours she had left. Yawning, she stretched and pulling back her hangings to find her slippers.

"Oh!" Eleanor stifled a gasp as her roommate's face came into view out of the darkness. "Marnie, um, good morning?"

Marnie gave her a look and then leaned forward, making Eleanor almost topple off her bed. If Marnie was staring her down before breakfast, that only meant one thing: a bad morning for Miss Sheldon.

"What are you doing today?" Marnie exclaimed loudly, probably waking the rest of the dormitory.

Eleanor blinked. "Studying for O.W.L.S.," she responded, biting back an "of course."

Her roommate suddenly smiled and Eleanor was taken back by the way it looked genuine; she even had _dimples _and her eyes lit up. "Great, I'll meet you in the library."

It took a few moments for Eleanor to regain her composure after Marnie had disappeared from the dormitory. When she finally blinked and hastily moved to stand up, she realized Suzanne was watching with raised eyebrows.

"Do you think she's tricking you into something?"

Eleanor shrugged even though she could see the scenario pan out in her mind. "I haven't done anything to upset her recently," she tried to convince herself, "she can't be still angry about the library incident. Maybe she just wants to talk?"

"Oh, right, _talk_. Because Marnie loves gossiping," Suzanne exclaimed with a laugh as she left to get dressed.

Sitting back down on her bed, Eleanor sighed, looking back over at her calendar. She didn't have time to listen to Marnie rant about something trivial when O.W.L.S. were only three weeks away. She didn't have time for anything but studying, but she couldn't ignore Marnie. That would only end in disaster.

And yet, wasting valuable time was also potentially disastrous.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, Eleanor pushed herself off of the bed and, trying to be as quiet as possible, got dressed and ready. Her other roommates were still sleeping which made everything more suspicious. Marnie was notorious for sleeping in and being the last to leave the dormitory.

Something was wrong.

Liam wasn't in the common room when she finished, which meant that it was still early. When did Marnie want to meet her? Was she supposed to go down to breakfast? Was she supposed to go to the library first? She didn't want to keep Marnie waiting if she was already there, but Liam probably wasn't awake and she couldn't leave without telling him where she went.

Eleanor took a moment to look around the common room and then, making up her mind, strode over to the door leading to the boys' dormitories. It took a moment to find the door labeled '5th years' and, after taking in a deep breath, she knocked softly.

She expected to hear some conversation or scrambling inside, but it was quiet. Instead, Eleanor heard a "who is it?" after a couple seconds.

For being a boys' dormitory, it certainly didn't seem chaotic.

"Eleanor Bennett," she replied, knowing that her name would imply who she wanted to see.

There was a pause. Eleanor kept waiting for whoever was at the door to start shouting for Liam, but instead, the door opened and someone who was clearly not Liam moved out into the hall.

Eleanor barely recognized him; he had to be Liam's roommate, but that was all she knew except for what she could tell by looking at him. He had slightly curly dark brown hair that fell below his ears, almost hiding his almond-shaped brown eyes. And, judging by his lack of a shirt, he liked to leave his dormitory half clothed.

"Oh," he exclaimed, his hand propping the door open. "Sorry, I forgot to grab my shirt. I was just getting dressed when you knocked." He smiled, holding out his free hand. "Joseph Carrington."

Eleanor hesitated, and then reached out to take his hand. "Ele-"

"I know. You sort of introduced yourself a couple seconds ago." He grinned at her, and then looked back in the room. "Liam's just getting dressed, he'll be a minute."

Eleanor wished she could move to see inside the room herself, but Joseph was doing a great job of blocking the door with his body. He didn't even seem fazed he was standing in front of her without a shirt and kept smiling at her.

"You know, we have all of these classes together and I don't think we've ever spoken before," he said, leaning against the door and letting it shut behind him.

"Well, I'm usually not one to go around meeting new people," Eleanor replied.

Joseph crossed his arms, looking at her so intensely that it made Eleanor feel a bit self conscious. Tilting his head to the side, he then exclaimed, "Eleanor Bennett. What an interesting name."

"I'm named after Elinor from Sense and Sensibility." When Joseph only blinked, she added, "It's a book by Jane Austen, a muggle author. I don't expect you've heard of it-"

"Sounds familiar," he cut her off. "I might have one of her novels in my library at home."

Eleanor raised her eyebrows. "You have a library in your house?"

He just shrugged. "Who doesn't?"

"Joseph!" A shout came from behind the door, complete with the sound of someone hitting it.

After a quick look back, Joseph looked at Eleanor, the corners of his mouth upturned in an amused expression. "Your boyfriend calls."

"He's not," Eleanor was quick to say, and then added, "-my boyfriend. We're best friends."

Joseph's expression curled into a smile. "Well, I guess I'll see you around then."

As soon as he backed away from the door, Liam came rushing out, giving Joseph a look before turning back to Eleanor. "Hi."

Eleanor watched as Joseph disappeared back in the dormitory.

"You...came to see me?" she heard Liam saying.

Turning her attention back to the boy in front of her, Eleanor nodded. "Marnie wants to meet me in the library and I'm going to skip breakfast-"

Liam looked at her like she was insane. She should have expected it. "You're going to meet with _Marnie_?"

"Yes," Eleanor said strongly, challenging him to say otherwise, "And I'm not going to be at breakfast and thought you should know."

He was staring at her and for once, Eleanor couldn't tell what he was thinking. His mouth was set in a hard line, but she didn't know if he wasangry with her. He looked as though he was trying to mask his confusion.

"Okay," he finally said, and Eleanor saw the concern flash across his face. "Just don't let her do anything to you."

Instead of reminding him of what had happened last time with Marnie, Eleanor just gave him a smile. "I doubt she wants to do anything to me. To my knowledge, we're not even fighting."

She could tell by the look on his face that he didn't quite believe her. "I'll be back in an hour," she told him, "If I'm not back, well, bring a search team." She wanted her joke to make him smile, but Liam only gave her an exasperated look. "You're not in a good mood in the morning, are you?"

He sighed, running a hand through his uncombed hair. "Just tired." He looked behind him briefly, and then gave Eleanor a weak smile. "I'll see you later then?"

It must have the stress of the impending exams that was making everybody act strange. Checking the time, Eleanor realized fifteen minutes had passed and if Marnie was already there, she was probably livid.

Going through the library doors, Eleanor found Marnie sitting on one of the tables, legs dangling off of the edge as she looked down on the floor, just out of view of Madam Pince. As soon as Eleanor began making her way over, Marnie looked up.

"Ah, Eleanor," Marnie exclaimed, not even bothering to move off of the table. Instead, she just leaned forward, kicking the chair next to her so it faced Eleanor. "Take a seat."

Eleanor knew she should have hesitated before taking the seat, but she was too interested in what Marnie wanted to wait another second. "What do you want?" Eleanor narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her.

Leaning forward again, Marnie rested her chin on her hands, a slight smirk appearing on her face. "You're very suspicious."

"Should I be?"

Marnie laughed. "I'm just seeking you out for help."

Eleanor didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. The number of things Marnie could need help with was extensive and frightening. Not to mention she was asking _Eleanor Bennett _for help, the girl she loved to torment. "You need _my _help?"

The other girl shrugged, looking away from Eleanor. "You're the smartest in our year, aren't you?" Without even waiting for a response, Marnie continued, "I need help with studying for O.W.L.S. I'm terrible at sitting down and concentrating on memorizing subjects and I know that's what you excel at. I know we're not exactly friends, but I just need a study partner, that's it."

"You want _me _to help _you _with exams when I have to worry about my own grades?"

Marnie snorted. "Oh, come on, Eleanor. Stop being so selfish. I need help, you can learn while helping me, it's a win-win. I don't know why you're whining."

Eleanor paused, and then said, "You just want someone to study with?"

Marnie shrugged, twirling a quill between her fingers. "That's it."

Grabbing Marnie's arm, Eleanor pulled her down into the seat next to her. "Fine, but if you want help, we're going to start right now." Eleanor pulled forward the nearest book, ignoring the look on Marnie's face. She couldn't protest now.

-x-

"And then in 1612, there was a goblin rebellion that took place in the vicinity of Hogsmeade and the Inn was used as – are you even listening?"

Eleanor let out a sigh of frustration as Marnie gazed off at the far wall of the library, her quill against her cheek. She didn't seem to hear Eleanor's question and instead asked, "You want to know something?"

Eleanor scoffed, not even bothering to answer. She knew exactly what Marnie was doing: not taking studying seriously and forgetting to pay attention to the material _again_. Eleanor knew she shouldn't have believed that Marnie actually needed help. It was probably a trick to get her to waste time before her exams and-

"I wish I had a friend like Liam."

Raising her eyebrows, Eleanor turned to the musing girl. "Why?"

Marnie shrugged, not taking her eyes off of the opposite wall. "Everyone wants a friend like Liam, you know. Not just me. I mean, I can get to _you_ through him. You know how much loyalty and trust that takes? He's completely devoted to you – sickening at times, but I'd _kill _for it."

"Yeah, he's-"

"I can't _believe _you're not going out with him."

"You know, Olivia said the same thing and-"

Marnie sighed loudly. "He's good looking and he cares for you and he's a good kisser, you probably didn't know that, but he _is_ and you really don't _expect _anything?"

"No, I don't." Eleanor was beginning to get used to this reasoning. Evidently, everyone thought the same thing even when it was completely false. "Anyway, they used the Inn as the headquarters for the rebellion-"

"_Ugh!_" Marnie growled, pushing back her chair and standing up slightly. "I need to stand up and walk and breathe. Five minute break." Without even waiting for Eleanor's okay, Marnie disappeared behind a bookshelf.

Rubbing her temples, Eleanor tried to ignore the massive headache that was threatening to erupt. She could feel the pulse beneath her skin and she knew it was only a matter of time before she was going to lose her patience. It was almost _lunch _and she didn't even get to have breakfast, her stomach was rumbling and she just couldn't concentrate anymore and _something was touching her leg-_

Her leg swung forward, colliding with something big under the table. "_Ow!" _

Scrambling out of her seat, Eleanor dropped to the floor to see Liam clutching his side and glaring at her. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"You weren't supposed to kick me!" Liam protested, "Those shoes of yours are _deadly_."

"What are you doing under the table?" Eleanor repeated, glancing up quickly to see if Marnie was coming back.

"I didn't know where you were!" Liam responded. "You said to call the search party after an hour and it's been three. I thought Marnie killed you and was hiding the body."

"Why are you _under the table_?"

"I was being _sneaky. _Trying not to let Marnie see me and attack me too."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Well, as you can see, I'm alive and well."

"Well?" He chuckled at that. "You're frustrated and starving. Here, I brought you some toast from breakfast." He held out the food in his other hand. "Only two slices though. Joseph was being a monster this morning, eating everything, it was just disgusting."

With a laugh, Eleanor took the food from him. "Thanks."

Liam smiled. "You're welcome."

Eleanor looked behind him, noticing the feet quickly approaching the table. "Marnie's coming," she whispered, almost laughing when she saw the look of horror pass across Liam's face.

"Got to go," he said quickly, "enjoy breakfast," he added before crawling back out the opposite way.

How he managed to crawl away without being seen by Marnie had to be a miracle.

* * *

I know I'm a bit late, but I was actually busy for once in my life. But it's still a quicker update than usual. Yay!

Thanks so much for reading! I'm loving reading your reviews and everything!


	30. Another Change

Normally, Liam knew all of the school gossip and he was the one to tell Eleanor. She never cared, but he always let her know. She was the one to let him know about anything academically related. She sent him a letter with her O.W.L. results only minutes after she received them (she got Os in everything but Divination), writing that she would like to know how he fared (he got one less O than her).

So when she came running up to him in the train corridor at the start of 6th year, he expected it had to do with grades.

"Did you hear? Are you the new prefect? Please tell me you are. You are, right?" she rambled, pulling him in the nearest compartment. When he just looked at her, she sighed loudly, throwing herself onto the seat and putting her head in her hands. "I can't just start over with a new prefect. I was just getting used to Neil and now I have to – you _are _the new prefect, right?"

"Where did Neil go?" Liam asked, desperate to figure out something.

Eleanor shook her head frantically. "Oh, no, oh, no, you don't know."

She wasn't answering anything and all Liam wanted was a straight answer. "Hey." He knelt in front of her and grabbed her face, causing her to stop shaking her head and actually look at him. "What happened?"

"Neil left," Eleanor replied with wide eyes. "His parents transferred him to Beauxbatons. Who's going to be the prefect with me?"

Liam let go of her, sitting in the opposite seat. "Someone from my dormitory. Why are you so worried?"

"I thought it'd be you," Eleanor said, looking down at the floor. "I wanted it to be you so I wouldn't have to start all over with someone new."

Could he still be a prefect if he didn't get a letter? Liam paused, watching Eleanor for a few seconds and then the door of the compartment slid open.

"Eleanor," Suzanne exclaimed, popping her head in. "They're searching for you in the prefect compartment."

With another frantic look, Eleanor went to stand up, taking her time with the few steps to the door. "Are you okay?" Suzanne gave her a strange look, definitely not used to seeing Eleanor this frazzled. Most likely, she didn't know about Neil yet.

Eleanor just looked at her. "I'll tell you when I have the answer," she finally said, then turned to Liam. He tried to give her a reassuring look, but he was positive nothing was going to calm her down at this point.

She really had no reason to be worried. The only other choices were Diego, Harrison, and Joseph. Liam could see it being Harrison; if he was Dumbledore, Harrison would be his choice. He also had a similar personality to Eleanor and they would definitely get along. She definitely didn't need to be anxious.

"What's going on?" he heard Suzanne ask, going to shut the door behind her.

"Wait!" Jared appeared at the door, keeping it from closing with his foot. "I've been searching for you guys all over the train," he exclaimed, panting slightly.

They went to sit across from Liam as Suzanne repeated her earlier question. "She seemed really upset," she elaborated, "and she wouldn't tell me and she usually tells me when she's upset, so did you do something because-"

"_I _didn't do anything," Liam interrupted her. "Neil's not coming back this year. She's worried who the next prefect is going to be. I think she was finally getting used to the idea of working with Neil and now she has to get to know another one of my roommates."

"They can't be that bad," Jared said, "You're friends with them, aren't you?"

Liam hesitated. "Sort of." He didn't want to mention the conversation from last year when he was still trying to forget it.

"Then she has nothing to worry about," Jared concluded.

But Liam could understand Eleanor's fear. It was 6th year and by now, everything was supposed to be stable and well, _normal_. Liam sighed, sitting back in his seat.

Why couldn't Dumbledore just have made him the prefect? Then nothing would have to change.

-x-

She didn't come back to the compartment. He couldn't find her when they exited to go onto the carriages. When they made their way into the Great Hall, he didn't even see her at the Ravenclaw table.

"She's missing," he told Suzanne, standing up to see over everyone's heads.

Suzanne turned to look at the first years filing into the room. "Maybe she stayed behind to help the first years." She paused and then pointed the back of the line. "Look, there she is."

He followed Suzanne's gaze and saw her immediately, a good foot taller than anyone else in the line. The tallest person, except for the person standing next to her.

Dumbledore had to be out of his mind. Absolutely _mad_.

"Is that-" he heard Suzanne say and then trail off.

Liam kept his eyes locked on him. "Joseph Carrington," he muttered through his teeth. Joseph. Working with Eleanor. All year. Probably asking her to unbutton her blouse and-

"Why is she – is she _laughing _at what he said?" Suzanne sounded incredulous herself.

Liam slowly shook his head, his eyes never straying away from them. They sat down at the edge of the Ravenclaw table, a good distance away from Liam and Suzanne. "She can't like him," he murmured, not even bothering if Suzanne heard. "She _can't_."

"And she was worried," Suzanne said sarcastically.

Liam tore his gaze away from them, looking determinedly down at his plate. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Eleanor was talking to Joseph and she was _laughing_. Knowing Joseph, he just wanted Eleanor because she was there with an easy in. They were going to be spending almost every night together, patrolling hallways at night where it was empty and silent and...

He was going to be sick.

What were they talking about? Was he asking her out? Were they just talking about prefect duties? Was she falling for his cheesy lines? Was she believing everything he was saying? Did she know he was one of the boys that was making those inappropriate comments last year?

"Liam, _eat._"

He ignored Suzanne, refusing to put anything on his plate. Instead, he chanced another glance at them. Oh god, she was _smiling_ at him.

Why couldn't it be Harrison or Diego?

"Eat!" Suzanne repeated.

But he only pushed himself back out of his seat, leaving his empty plate. He didn't care if he was starving. He just couldn't deal with watching them any longer.

He took his time, slowly trudging up to Ravenclaw tower by dragging his feet. How was he going to deal with this for the next two years? How was he going to pretend that it didn't bother him? He couldn't tell Eleanor anything; she would only yell that he was being jealous. He wasn't jealous. He was just...angry at Joseph. He was doing this for a _reason_. Just like how Marnie used him to get to Eleanor. Same reason.

Except Joseph wasn't fighting with him.

There had to be _something_ that was making Joseph do this. Hopefully, it wasn't for fun.

Sitting on the staircase leading to the entrance, Liam waited for the rest of the Ravenclaws to make their way to the tower.

A chatter alerted him to the incoming students and he quickly stood up, standing next to the wall as they rounded the corner. Eleanor was leading the group, still standing next to Joseph. She didn't notice Liam as she ushered the rest of the students in the common room, Joseph lingering behind.

"Eleanor?" Liam got her attention and she turned to look at him. He contemplated going over to her, but instead, he stood rooted to the spot.

"I'll catch up with you later," he heard her say to Joseph and Liam watched as he climbed the staircase to the common room. "Sorry I didn't sit with you at the feast."

He blinked. "Oh, um-" What was he supposed to say?

She made her way over, looking at him closely. "So," she paused, looking up at the ceiling and down at the floor before finally locking eyes with him again, "Joseph asked me out."

"Oh," Liam said shortly. Why did she tell him that? What good was going to come out of that? "What did you say?" he finally asked one of the questions swarming his mind.

She gave him a look, narrowing her eyes in his direction. Liam, looking for a straight answer, couldn't help but allow his frustration to boil over and he snapped. "You can't expect me to read your mind!" He immediately regretted it, recoiling when he noticed the way she flinched.

Eleanor was staring at him, her mouth slightly open in surprise. He could see the hurt in her eyes and winced.

"Fine," Eleanor said after an awful pause. Liam couldn't breathe. "Fine," she repeated again, turning away from him to make her way up the common room. "Oh," she turned around, meeting Liam's guilty gaze. "I told him yes." And she wouldn't even look back at him.

Yes. She said yes.

A yes to Joseph Carrington.

Sighing, Liam leaned back and hit his head on the stone wall. At least she didn't tell him that he was being jealous.

* * *

Thank you so much to mew-tsubaki for editing this chapter for me!

And yes, Joseph does move pretty fast, doesn't he? He just saw his way in and took it, and Eleanor actually said yes for once. I'm still trying to write (epic) chapter 36 (for a couple days now). It's been a hassle. We'll see what I'll get done tonight. Let me just say:  
_"Marnie," Liam started, taking a step back. She hadn't trapped him yet and there was always the other door. "I'm not-" He paused, searching for the right word while looking for his way out, "_fornicating _with you in a classroom."_  
_ She snorted, grabbing his arm and pulling him back toward her. "I'm actually quite flattered that that was your first thought-"_

So, that's pretty interesting. I love me some Liam/Marnie. Thanks for reading!_  
_


	31. Quidditch Tryouts

It was the longest fight they ever had. Only two weeks, but it was two weeks of sitting across from the room from him and making sure to avoid him in the corridors. Two weeks of ignoring everything he said and two weeks without her best friend.

Suzanne and Joseph tried to fill that gap, but they couldn't do anything. Because it was Liam and nobody could replace him.

She still didn't understand why Liam was so angry about Joseph. He never complained about having him as a roommate and Joseph seemed like a pretty nice bloke. She really had no doubt in her mind to say yes when he asked if she'd like to go out with him. He seemed really genuine and sincere when he asked, hands in his pockets and a shy smile on his face. She couldn't just say no to someone that looked that vulnerable.

And she didn't regret it. Joseph was really wonderful. They hadn't really been out on an actual date (it was almost impossible in Hogwarts except for Hogsmeade trips but the first one wasn't for another month) but it had been only two weeks and she could wait. He didn't try to push her at all; she was worried about him since he seemed like the type of guy that would want to rush it. He was very fast-paced with everything else.

"Sorry," Liam finally came to her during breakfast on a Wednesday morning. "I'm awful, I know, but I didn't know how to deal with it and it seemed so quick and _sorry_."

She stared up at him for a good deal of time before nodding. "Maybe I should have told you differently," she compromised.

He took the seat next to her, still watching her intensely as if she was going to change her mind. "Yeah, it was a bit of a shock."

Eleanor began crumbling her toast, not sure how to tell him her plans for the day. He probably wanted to do something with her since he apologized, but she didn't have the free time. "I'm going to watch Quidditch try-outs today," she decided to say, not mentioning her boyfriend's name, but Liam already knew.

"Joseph's trying out, then?" Liam asked and then quickly corrected himself, "Oh, he's already on the team, isn't he?"

"A Chaser," Eleanor said, an idea suddenly coming to her, "You can come if you want to. You love Quidditch, I'm sure it'll be interesting."

Liam gave her a surprised smile. "You want me there?"

After the past two weeks, Eleanor understood. Even she was surprised how easily it was to fall back into their routine. "Of course," she told him, watching as his small smile turned into a massive grin.

-x-

"Sixth year!" Liam exclaimed as they walked down to the Quidditch pitch. "It's probably going to be all studying and writing essays and classes, but _sixth year_, Eleanor."

Eleanor laughed at Liam's enthusiasm. "Don't forget finally being able to perform legal magic."

Liam's eyes got wide. "I'm going to be _seventeen_. I'll get to go home this summer and play all of these tricks on my brothers for once-"

"No magic in front of muggles," Eleanor had to remind him, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"And then they'll finally believe me when I say magic is real instead of laughing and making fun of my school. It's going to be priceless – their expressions-"

They took seats at the top of the bleachers, watching as the Ravenclaw try-outs began below. Eleanor was able to pick out Joseph among the players and leaned forward to get a closer look. Even though he wasn't the captain, she could still see him telling the potential players where to go and what to do.

A group of first years went to stand in front of them and Eleanor had to stand up on her seat to continue watching. Of course Liam didn't have to move; he was freakishly tall, as Eleanor liked to remind him.

"I was never that small, was I?" he whispered to her, looking at the first years jumping up and down.

"I happen to remember a certain first Quidditch game where you were acting just like them," Eleanor replied.

Liam made a face. "I wasn't that annoying," he tried to say but Eleanor only shook her head. "Joseph's waving," he pointed out suddenly.

Eleanor sought out the boy on the field, finding him waving in their direction. She wasn't even sure he was waving to her, but she waved back with a huge smile anyway.

"He doesn't mind I'm here?"

Eleanor paused. "I don't know. He's not like that though, so probably not."

It was awkward talking to him about Joseph. The curse of having a boy as a best friend. She could tell Suzanne everything about Joseph, but when it came to Liam, she choked up and didn't want to talk about it. But Liam didn't seem to mind.

"That one there, he'll be the new Chaser." Liam pointed to a small boy on the field. "And that one, he's the new Beater." Another boy, older and bulkier.

"You haven't even seen them fly."

Liam smiled. "Just wait."

Try-outs went quickly since many of the students were barely able to fly. The first boy Liam picked out was really fast, however. He flew through the rest of the students and chucked a Quaffle through the hoop on his first try. The other boy seemed slow, sitting on his broom and looking around the bleachers for what seemed like minutes. Then a Bludger came his way and he swung back, hitting it with the loudest crack Eleanor ever heard in Quidditch.

When she glanced over at Liam, he was grinning. "I should've bet you."

She rolled her eyes. "What did you get in Divination again?"

"An O, but only because Professor Olim insisted that everything I said during the exam was correct, even when I started making up everything. I wonder why he's not back this year. Did you hear they got a new professor? Trelawney."

Eleanor nodded. "I saw her at the feast. She was quite...interesting." She really didn't care anymore. The class was over and she never had to take another Divination class again. After her counseling session with Flitwick last year, she decided to take Transfiguration, Charms, Muggle Studies and Potions as NEWT level and get as far away as she could from Divination.

Twisting the ring around her finger, Eleanor watched as the players began making their way off the field.

"Blue."

Eleanor looked up. "Hmm?"

"Your ring," Liam explained. "It's blue. What does that mean?"

It took a couple seconds for her to remember. She hadn't paid much attention to her ring lately. "Content," she finally said. "Relaxed, at ease, calm." Strangely enough, the ring was right for once. She always felt that way around Liam.

"Oh, I still have your birthday present," he said. "I was going to give it to you on the train but with the whole prefect thing-"

She found herself smiling. "Let's go get it then."

They both rushed down to the pitch, trying to see who was faster. Eleanor was laughing at Liam's pathetic exhausted act when she felt an arm go around her shoulder, pulling her into someone's embrace.

"Joseph," she exclaimed, even before she turned to make sure it was him. Sure enough, he was standing next to her with a bright smile.

"Nora," he replied, kissing her on the side of the head. Eleanor could see Liam's expression change into confusion; he didn't know about Joseph's nickname for her. She didn't actually like it that much: it reminded her of Nora from A Doll's House, but Joseph insisted it was just right for her.

Liam and Joseph only met eyes for a second and then Joseph's attention was back on her with that same smile plastered on his face. "Hey, do you have plans for today? I was thinking we could go rest under the tree by the lake today before it gets too chilly to enjoy the weather."

Eleanor shook her head. "Sorry, but I've-"

"Go."

If she didn't see Liam's lips move, she wouldn't have believed he said it. "What?"

He gave her one of his reassuring smiles. "Yeah, go." He shrugged, looking over at Joseph and then back at her.

But she still hesitated, even if Liam seemed okay with her spending the day with Joseph. It had been awhile since she and Liam had done anything together, and now he wanted her to ditch him for Joseph? But it wasn't ditching if he wanted her to go.

"Okay," she found herself saying slowly, gauging his reaction.

Liam just continued to smile. "I'll see you later."

Eleanor watched him leave, a sinking feeling in her chest. He _didn't _want to spend the day with her. He just let Joseph have that privilege without even a fight.

"What are you thinking about?" she could hear Joseph asking, but she couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened.

Best friends weren't supposed to give up with a fight.

Or were they supposed to move aside?

"Nothing," she answered, focusing her eyes on the boy now standing in front of her. "I was just daydreaming."

"Thinking about me then?" He laughed and grabbed onto her hands. "Thanks for watching me play." Without even a warning, his lips were on hers and his hands were suddenly in her hair, pulling slightly as he continued to kiss her.

Eleanor found that she was breathless.

* * *

Thanks again to mew-tsubaki for editing!

Yes, 6th year will be filled with...a lot of drama. I think Liam and Eleanor spend _a lot _of their time fighting. Joseph's quite a character...

Thanks for reading!


	32. 17th Birthday

It was nearing eleven; Liam watched the clock intently as the second hand ticked by – one notch, another, then another.

Although New Year's Day was yesterday, the dormitory showed no sign of a party. It would have been slightly awkward since there was only two 6th year Ravenclaw boys that stayed at Hogwarts during the break: him and Joseph.

Eleanor stayed too and Liam was especially glad. For once, she was here for his 17th birthday and he had everything planned. They were going to play Exploding Snap (they hadn't done that since 1st year), go outside in the snow, have hot chocolate in the common room, maybe even build a fort since no one was down there.

However, all of those plans changed the minute he walked downstairs.

"Liam!"

He had expected her to say "Happy Birthday!" and pull him into a hug before they would go to breakfast and eat pastries and then go outside to have fun and have the best day ever. But that was just his imagination running wild.

"Hello, Liam."

Joseph. He hadn't noticed him sitting in the armchair next to Eleanor. He really should've, especially when his roommate was wearing a bright red sweater. Somehow, Joseph still managed to make an ugly sweater look good on him when he would have only looked awkward.

"Joseph," Liam said in return.

There was an awkward silence and Liam waited for Eleanor to say something – a joyful "Happy Birthday!" would have sufficed.

But then Joseph had stood up, grabbing onto Eleanor's hand. "Come on, Nora, let's go outside." By the way Joseph was smirking at him, Liam knew exactly what he meant. He had only wanted to take Eleanor away for some "alone time" where they would snog and touch and...

He had probably looked deathly white, but he didn't care.

Because she didn't say no.

Even though it was his birthday.

It was like she had forgotten.

With a slow sigh, Liam shook his head and tore his eyes from the clock. He couldn't torture himself any longer. If he just went to bed now, the day would be over. As soon as he closed his eyes, he could just wake up the next day acting as if nothing happened.

Pulling himself out of his bed, he took off his shirt and made his way over to his four-poster, barely able to pick up his feet.

He was about to push his sheets back when the door behind him opened, flooding the room with light that momentarily blinded him. He couldn't see as someone latched onto him but he didn't need his sight to realize who it was.

"I'm sorry – I didn't even realize – why didn't you say anything?"

Her voice was muffled and frantic, and Liam couldn't help but let out a breath of relief. Nestling his chin into her hair, he chuckled and said, "It didn't matter. You were busy - "

She pulled herself away from him, her shocked gaze meeting his eyes. "Too busy to remember your birthday? Your _seventeenth_ birthday, Liam! You should hate me. I'm _awful_. I just left you for Joseph when it was your big day and I didn't even think about it and how could I be that stupid?"

"No," he told her, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I couldn't just ruin your date because of my birthday. It's just any other day-"

"It's _not_," she insisted, shaking her head furiously, "and we're spending the rest of the day together to make up for it."

Liam blinked, glancing at the time again. "There's only an hour-"

"The night then. We'll stay up, talk all night, do whatever you want. Even build exploding card structures if you really want. _Anything_." He could hear the pleading note in her voice and knew there was no way he could say no.

"If you let go, I can get dressed," he said instead of a simple "yes."

Eleanor rolled her eyes and let go off him with a smile. "Okay."

-x-

After spending an hour playing Exploding Snap (the actual game without blowing up the card structures), another half hour of being distracted by Christmas presents, and fifteen minutes of talking about the birthday presents Liam had already received (including the box of rocks his brothers sent), Liam and Eleanor were already half-asleep. They were trying to keep themselves awake by sitting up against the headboard, but even with playing his Journey record, it seemed impossible.

Liam yawned, as the song Open Arms (by Journey, of course) began to play. He kept trying to find something to say to keep them awake, but there was nothing. Though he was quite content just sitting with Eleanor next to him. Without thinking, Liam started braiding strands of Eleanor's hair.

He was almost done with the first braid when Eleanor looked up at him, eyebrows raised. He quickly dropped her hair and gave her a guilty smile. "Are you braiding my hair?" she asked with a laugh.

He tried shaking his head, but it wasn't going to work. "Um, of course not."

Scooting up, she found the unraveling braid. "What's this?"

With a sigh, Liam knew he had to explain himself. "My brothers forced me to braid hair on these dolls when I was young. They thought it would be a funny thing to teach me and then tell the whole neighborhood."

"They sound nice," Eleanor exclaimed.

"Oh, yes, very."

He sighed then, pulling her close to him. She didn't pull away and Liam found himself saying, "So, how's Joseph?" He had no clue why he brought up the subject, but it was nagging at him.

Eleanor didn't seem to find it strange. "Oh," she paused, and then said, "He's fine. We're fine. I mean...I think we're going to be okay."

He raised an eyebrow at her ramblings. "You sure?" She nodded in response. He hesitated, wondering if he should bring up the subject again. "So, where is Joseph anyway? He usually finds something else to do on Saturday nights, but it's usually with you."

She took another long pause and then she shifted slightly before saying, "He said he wanted to do something with Max, one of the Hufflepuffs staying here. Knowing him, he's probably staking out the corridors since they're deserted." She then sighed loudly, resting her head against his shoulder. "He wasn't happy when I left him earlier."

Liam had figured as much. He knew that Joseph didn't exactly _condone _their relationship even when Liam explained himself and even tried not to get in their way. According to Joseph, they were still too close.

"He's not mad at you, is he?" He didn't like the thought of Joseph being mad at her – she did nothing to deserve his anger.

"No, I don't think so. Jealous, maybe."

Jealous because of their relationship? They were only friends, best friends. Joseph had the physical relationship with her, maybe not emotional, but Liam didn't get to touch her or kiss her or anything romantic. Just be friends.

"Of?" Liam pressed on.

Eleanor didn't answer. Instead, she turned her head upward, locking eyes with Liam. It was one of those looks – the ones where she expected him to know exactly what she was thinking. But he couldn't find anything in those eyes of hers. Was she even trying to tell him something? Maybe she didn't have the answer to his question at all.

But he still never let his gaze waver from hers. She blinked at him and he watched as her eyelashes fluttered, too rapid, almost as if she didn't want to miss anything. He blinked back and with a jolt, realized he was subconsciously leaning closer and closer.

He wanted to – but he couldn't - did she want to?

Then suddenly, she tore her gaze away, looking determinedly down at the bed. Liam released a sharp breath as he realized what had almost happened.

"So, is there anything else you want for your birthday?" she asked, just as if nothing had happened.

He didn't say anything. Eleanor didn't respond, probably taking his silence as not knowing. She sighed again, setting her head on his chest and suddenly, he couldn't breathe.

And it wasn't just her right then.

It was her then, tomorrow, yesterday and everyday. The answer was her.

* * *

:D

So, yeah, this chapter is pretty interesting.

Thanks mew-tsubaki for editing and HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAMENETTE!ONE1! And, as always, thanks for reading.

Also, if you are on Twitter, follow DntStopBLIAMvin. It's...probably what you think. A Liam appreciation Twitter. I do not run it, haha.


	33. The Aftermath

Eleanor knew the minute she woke up that something wasn't right. She always slept on her back, not on her stomach. And when she flexed the fingers on her left hand, she grabbed onto fabric, but she knew it wasn't sheets or a pillow. Something warm and solid was underneath it. Something similar was currently pressing on her back, like an object was slung over her shoulder.

Something like -

Her eyes immediately snapped open and, even though she knew what to expect, she couldn't stop herself from letting out a muffled gasp.

Tilting her head up, Eleanor looked at him. His hair was messy and his blue eyes were still shut, but there was no mistaking it. She had slept in Liam's bed all night. She watched the slow rise and fall of his chest and his eyelids were fluttering, evidence that he was dreaming.

Dreaming about what? How could he look so content? She couldn't remember falling asleep in this position, though it was entirely probable this had happened when they were already asleep. Did he wake up during the night and notice how they were sleeping? What if he had already awakened and just didn't care?

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she tried to get out of his grasp but his arm had her pinned. She had no clue what type of sleeper he was, but hoping for a heavy one, Eleanor turned her body and lifted his arm high enough to wiggle out and push her way to the foot of the bed.

He was still sleeping when she turned to look at him, his rhythmic breathing calming Eleanor for a few seconds before she remembered where she was. With a shaky breath, she stumbled her way out of his sheets to the door.

She had to find Joseph.

Tiptoeing into the common room, she saw him sprawled out on the couch, his face buried in a pillow. She quietly walked over, biting down on her lip and then stopped next to him. She needed to tell him.

But her hand stopped midway and she retracted it, realizing how it was shivering. He had probably went up to the dormitory and saw them sleeping together. Why else would he have slept in the common room? But why didn't he wake them?

She didn't want him yelling at her. He probably would tell her that he knew she was cheating on him all along.

It took everything she had not to cry. There was no way she could talk to him like this. Shivering again, Eleanor realized she left her robes in the boys' dormitory. If Joseph didn't know anything, he would after finding her clothes.

Maybe Liam wasn't awake. She could just sneak in and grab them and not talk to anyone all day. She wouldn't have to deal with it. Blinking away the tears that were threatening to spill over, she quickly made her way back, stopping at the door.

It was quiet.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, glancing inside.

Her stomach dropped when she saw Liam standing in the middle of the dormitory, still half-asleep and looking at the door.

"Eleanor?"

There was no way she could back out now.

"Hi," she said, stepping inside the room and closing the door with her back. She didn't know what to say to him. Did he know she slept here?

He blinked, probably focusing his eyes on her. She shuffled on her feet, waiting for him to say something, anything, that would let her know what he remembered.

"Did we-" He pointed to the bed behind him, clearly confused.

"That depends on what you're insinuating," she responded, her voice surprisingly strong.

"Um," he stuttered, and then suppressed a yawn, "I – um, you slept here, right?"

Eleanor nodded carefully. "Yes." Liam's eyes were suddenly wide and she didn't know exactly why. "I don't think Joseph saw us, thank Merlin," she added.

Liam stared again. "Oh, yeah, Joseph," he muttered, then turning his gaze upon the floor. "So, uh, where is he?"

"Common room."

There was another awkward pause. Liam always had a lot to say; she wasn't sure why he was so quiet. Maybe he was still in the process of waking up.

"Are you – are you guys...okay?"

She wasn't actually sure what he was talking about, but it sounded as if he was asking about her relationship with Joseph. But he already knew the answer; she had told him last night.

"I haven't talked to him today-" she tried to clarify, but Liam shook his head.

"Is he going to be angry?" he interrupted, his eyes now searching hers.

Where were all these questions coming from? Eleanor had no clue how to answer; most likely, he was going to be disappointed but she didn't want to tell Liam that.

"I – I don't know."

Liam took a step forward and for some reason, she flinched. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" He couldn't have noticed.

"With – him and -"

He was _still _talking about Joseph. "Why are you asking me all of these questions?" There was a note of hysteria in her voice that she couldn't get rid of. It was coming out of nowhere and he was suddenly suffocating her.

"I just...want to know," Liam said slowly, taking the last step and placing his hands on her arms. He had done it so many times before, but now it felt strange and she couldn't breathe.

The tears were coming back even though she had no reason to cry. All of this was ludicrous. "Let go," she said, wrenching her arms out of his grasp. He was too close, not at all comforting, just too close and she didn't know why.

"Sorry," he murmured, but he was still right in front of her.

She should have been used to it, but it was different. This time it felt wrong. "No, stop it." She needed him to leave. She needed to breathe. She needed to be alone. "Go."

He looked bewildered, glancing around the dormitory before his eyes were back on her. "This is the boys dormitory."

"I don't _care!_" She hid her face in her hands, turning away, trying to calm her breathing just for a second. She just needed to _breathe_. "I just need – can you please _go_?"

She heard him move and knew he was still right next to her. "Why? What did I do? I'm sorry – I didn't mean to do anything, I just-"

"I can't look at you right now," Eleanor muttered, muffled by her hands. Why was she being suffocated? It was Liam, her best friend. He shouldn't – he couldn't – why did everything change after sleeping in the dormitory with him? It wasn't like it was strange. But _why _couldn't she talk to him?

"What did I do?" Liam insisted. She couldn't answer – she didn't even _know _– and then she heard Liam move across the room. "Fine." There was another pause and Eleanor struggled to not to cry. "If you're not going to tell me what I did, I'm just going to go to breakfast by myself and forget you."

She thought he was kidding, but then she heard the door slam.

-x-

Marnie was the only girl in the dormitory that stayed over break. Eleanor dreaded walking into the room after spending the night away, but she needed to change clothes and she couldn't avoid Marnie forever.

"Hey," Marnie exclaimed when Eleanor walked in. "Spend the night with Joseph?" It was always the teasing tone with her. Eleanor didn't even need to answer before Marnie began talking again. "You might want to wait before shagging him though; I think Liam would be plenty furious if you let Joseph have your way with you."

"It's none of Liam's business," Eleanor found herself saying.

Marnie laughed. "Everything you do is Liam's business."

"Is not," Eleanor argued, grabbing her clothes out of her dresser. "I don't have to tell him everything I do and he doesn't need to know about any of it."

Marnie only smirked. "Tell that to the boy, not me."

Instead of answering, Eleanor left without even glancing back at Marnie. She needed a long bath in the Prefects bathroom. She needed to get away from Liam and Joseph and Marnie and everybody.

And she didn't know why but she needed to cry.

* * *

Anddd the aftermath.

Next chapter is the one where Liam tries to drown himself in snow. Now you know why.

Thanks to mew-tsubaki for editing and thanks to all of you for reading!


	34. Sudden Talk

It had to be possible to drown in snow. After all, in the case of an avalanche, swimming was an appropriate response - one way not to drown. And it was entirely possible to accidentally breathe in too many ice particles and choke on them. The definition of drowning was basically suffocation, so suffocating on snow couldn't be that difficult.

Turning face-down, Liam tried to breathe in, but it wasn't working. Maybe if he melted the snow first and then forced himself to inhale the water. Laying in the snow wouldn't do anything. His face was just numb.

With a groan, he turned to face the sky again.

It was an especially cloudy day; gray, swirling clouds covered the entire blue sky. Liam hoped that it'd start snowing again and he'd get buried under the precipitation. Buried alive could definitely lead to suffocation.

He let his eyes close, concentrating on the cold slowly seeping in.

Hypothermia was another way to go.

After a couple minutes of concentrating on his numb fingers and toes, Liam could feel someone standing over him. He hesitated, crunching some snow in his palm. As long as it wasn't her. It couldn't be her. It _wouldn't _be her.

Peeking with one eye, he focused on the long, dark hair.

Oh.

"What do you want?"

She laughed, sitting down next to him with her feet tucked underneath her legs (she wasn't the only one who did that, El – no, he wasn't going to think of her). Taking in a slow breath, Liam tried to stay indifferent. Nothing was going to phase him, especially not Olivia's crazy rants.

"Cranky, aren't you?" Olivia finally said, leaning forward. Her face was now right in his line of vision, blocking the cloudy sky. Closing his eyes again, Liam tried to ignore her but she continued talking. "I know we haven't really – I don't know – seen eye-to-eye, but what's wrong?"

He really didn't expect any less. Olivia was known for being in everyone's business. She was also really good at solving problems, but he didn't want her help. He didn't have a problem. This wasn't a problem. He just didn't know how to get rid of her without sounding like a bloody git.

"Nothing," he mumbled, not even bothering to look at her.

But she was insistent. "Tell me."

"No."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"I don't have anything to tell."

"Yes, you do."

"Olivia." Liam opened his eyes to see her leaning directly over him, only balancing on her hands. Her eyes were wide, waiting for him to spout out every single answer she wanted to hear. He stared at her for a moment and then sighed before saying, "Really. Nothing's wrong."

She 'tsk'ed, moving back from him. He watched her gaze into the distance as a slow smile came to her face. "Oh," she exclaimed, her voice strangely high and perky, "it looks like Joseph Carrington is coming over."

Liam scowled at his name. Ever since Eleanor accidentally slept in Liam's bed, Joseph began playing the "victim" card in every situation. Liam was the bad guy and Eleanor was trying everything to regain Joseph's trust.

It didn't bother Liam, but Eleanor couldn't stand it. She _hated _it when people disliked her.

After a shake of his head, Olivia burst into a grin. "Ah, now I know what's wrong. Everyone's talking about you and Eleanor, you know."

They were already talking about it?

Sighing, Liam sat up. Olivia moved to brush the snow off his back and he quickly dodged her hand. "If you already knew, then why are you pestering me about it?"

Olivia shrugged, giving him a small smile. For a second, he thought the girl actually cared about his relationship with Eleanor. "Because no one knows _why_ you aren't talking," she explained slowly, and then hastily added, "I have a hunch but-"

"Just say it, Olivia." She was going to tell him sooner or later and he didn't have the patience for her mind games.

"You glower when I mention Joseph and you aren't speaking to Eleanor." She rested her head on her knees, staring straight at him. "Something happened over break."

Liam rolled his eyes for good measure, turning away from her. "Nothing happened."

"But can't you _see_?" Olivia grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn back in her direction. "You can't live without her, you've been friends for years and everything is Liam and Eleanor, Liam and Eleanor, you even have a name: Lianor, and look at yourself right now. You're trying to freeze in the snow simply because you're not Lianor anymore?"

Deciding not to comment on the "Lianor," Liam mumbled a hasty "I'm fine" in response.

"What _happened_?" Olivia kept pulling on his arm. "Did you realize-"

Liam winced, shaking her arm off. "She's my best friend. Best friends aren't supposed to-" He faltered, not sure what else to say. She still had Joseph. Joseph still had her. He had no one. As long as she had Joseph, he really had no chance.

"Who _said _best friends can't-"

"But she completely freaked out," Liam began rambling, barely paying attention to what he was saying, "I didn't even say anything to her and she wouldn't let me be near her or touch her or anything. I didn't do anything, but what if she noticed? I mean, we almost – I thought things were – maybe I was the only one thinking about it. She acted as though nothing happened but I, I don't know, knew something changed and it felt right, like it was always supposed to change like this, like I was always supposed-"

"Kiss her?"

Hearing it was so much different than just thinking about it. _Kiss _her. Being that close to her, her response, them _kissing_. It seemed so exhilarating and frightening to think about, but so close and real.

"I don't see why she wouldn't want to," Olivia's voice cut through his thoughts.

Was she _crazy_? "There are_ a million_ reasons why she wouldn't." She had Joseph. They were only friends. Maybe she thought he was repulsive. He was too tall for her. Maybe she liked dark hair. He knew too many of her secrets...

"Hey Liam," Olivia called, catching his attention again.

It was only then that he realized she was, quite literally, a breath away. He could see the different colors in her eyes, the freckles on her nose, the way her mouth was turning upward into a smile.

"What are you thinking about right now?" she asked.

He felt her breath on his lips and it took a moment to respond. "How close you are," he responded truthfully.

"That's it?"

Liam was just waiting for her to close the gap, to push herself on him, and he had no clue how he was going to get out of it. "I - "

With a chuckle, Olivia pulled back. "You were absolutely frightened I was going to kiss you, Liam."

"You kind of...were just there."

Olivia shrugged, going back to sit with her head on her knees. "Were you afraid of kissing Eleanor?"

"I didn't-" How would she know? She had no clue what he was thinking. She didn't know how he wanted to kiss Eleanor and Eleanor didn't seem to want to in return.

Olivia smiled at the look on his face. "It just felt right, didn't it? I scare you, Marnie scared you when she got you in the corridor. All other girls make you nervous but Eleanor. She just makes sense."

"That's because she's my best friend. We grew up together. We know each other. It took six years to open up to her."

"And?"

"And I didn't know what I was thinking when I tried to kiss her. I thought she was leaning in and it didn't cross my mind that it was strange. It seemed logical at the time. The next step. Best friends to lovers to..."

It made _sense_. Eleanor was the only girl he ever trusted. He loved to make her laugh and he loved studying with her and talking to her. He put up with her parents and went to the funeral and dealt with Ian Fabray even when it was the last thing he wanted to do.

He wanted to be the one to go on dates with her and kiss her and touch her.

Why couldn't he?

She never said "no." He didn't give her the chance to say "no." He only stumbled and faltered over his words; nothing concrete was ever said.

Maybe she didn't even know.

"Olivia," Liam said slowly, looking up at the girl. "I think I have to find Eleanor."

It was only the next step. A logical transition into the next chapter of their lives. Olivia knew it was bound to happen. Marnie always pestered Eleanor about their relationship. Even Jared said so in third year. It was all winding down to this, right now.

It was always supposed to happen.

* * *

So, what's going to happen? What is going to be Eleanor's reaction? Good or bad?

Thanks to mew-tsubaki for editing. And thank you thank you thank you to everyone who reads this story!


	35. Taking Chances

Eleanor pushed back the hair in front of her eyes as she squinted at the small type in front of her. It was nearing dinner and she really needed to leave the library soon, but studying had become her solace, the one thing she had to look forward to. She wasn't even that hungry and the textbook was actually quite interesting...

But she had to go. Joseph would be waiting for her and she promised that she'd spend the rest of the day with him. Maybe she even needed a snog session to get her mind off...other things.

After organizing the textbook in her bookbag, she quickly walked past Madam Pince, trying not to acknowledge the cranky librarian.

She had barely taken a step out of the library door when someone grabbed her arm, pulling her against the corridor wall. The giggle stopped in her throat when she focused on the boy in front of her. "Liam?"

He wasn't talking to her. He wasn't supposed to be in front of her with that wide-eyed look on his face. He was _avoiding _her, wasn't he?

"Sorry, did I scare you?"

Eleanor blinked at his words, trying to ignore the pain in her chest that came from hearing him speak again. It really had been too long.

"What-"

"Sorry," he said again, releasing his grip on her. Instead, he stretched out his arms on either side of her head, palms on the wall, trapping her with his body. He was looking determinedly down the corridor and Eleanor knew he was nervous. Nervous talking to _her _just because they had a stupid fight. Why did they _ever _decide to stop speaking? It was Liam, her best friend, and just hearing his voice made everything better. He probably thought she was getting ready to run away, but Eleanor had no intention of moving.

"Are you-" Eleanor began to say, but Liam began shaking his head.

"I'm sorry about avoiding you," he said, turning to look at her. His voice was surprisingly shaking and Eleanor knew he was making up words on the spot, "I'm stupid and I should have known I couldn't avoid you because you're in all of my classes and I miss talking to you."

Eleanor smiled at his stumbling confession. "I do too-"

"And this whole thing was stupid because we're Liam and Eleanor and we can't be mad at each other, that's not us."

Everything was okay now. Liam admitted it was stupid, she knew it was stupid, and they had both missed each other. "Our friendship is too strong," she added.

Eleanor watched him blink and then the words came tumbling out of his mouth, "I don't want to be friends."

She heard wrong. "What?"

Liam's gaze was piercing and Eleanor could feel her throat close up as he repeated, "I don't want to be friends."

He didn't want their friendship. Her friendship. Her. He didn't want those six years and all of those letters and the Journey and Beatles and all the late-night studying sessions. He didn't want _any _of that. What did she do _wrong_?

"So, you came all the way here to speak to me after two weeks of avoidance just to tell me you don't want to be my friend anymore?" Eleanor tried to say with a straight face, but her bottom lip was trembling and the tears were welling up in her eyes. He was bound to notice by their close proximity and Eleanor couldn't do a thing about it.

She saw him wince and then gulp. "Eleanor-"

What was he going to say? What could he possibly say to make sense out of nonsense?

"You're just going to throw the last six years away because we had a little fight." No, it didn't make sense at all. "Is that all I am to you? Something that easy to forget about?"

"No, no," Liam whispered, almost soothingly, "I want-"

"You want me to leave? You want me not to be friends with you? You want me to ignore you for the rest of our lives because I messed up? I don't know what I did, what did I do, I didn't – I'm sorry I slept in your bed, I didn't mean to. Did I ruin everything?" She could feel hot tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled to take a breath.

She flinched as the cuff of his shirt brushed away her tears. "Stop crying, please." He sounded regretful. _Regretful_. He was the one saying all of this and yet, he still felt guilt. Guilt that should have stopped him but he just ignored it.

"Listen, Eleanor, please, just listen to me," he mumbled, but she only choked back a sob. "Come on." His forehead was suddenly resting on hers. "I don't want to be friends, Eleanor. _Friends_. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Her eyes were shut tight as she moved her head to the side and back.

"I'm not giving up on you." His voice was low, barely a whisper and Eleanor had to stop breathing to hear. "I still want you, I just don't want you in...the same way."

Her eyes flickered upward and she moved back to catch his gaze. "What?"

"I like you."

She knew that.

"A lot."

She knew that too.

"Not in the friendly way."

But that – that was...was _something_.

"Not in the-" she tried to say.

"Not how best friends should like each other," he said, as if it clarified everything.

Her heart was racing and her mind was struggling to process what he had said. He couldn't – he didn't want to be _friends_. He wanted something more. He wanted a relationship. A relationship with _her_, Eleanor Bennett, best friend.

He didn't want to be her _friend._

"You're destroying our friendship," she finally managed to say, voice strangled. Her eyes were now on the floor and she couldn't look up to see the disappointment. If it was anyone else, it would have been okay, but this was _Liam_.

"I'm absolutely fine with that."

Her breath came out in a sharp gasp. "You're fine with ruining our friendship?"

"For _this_-" His fingers weaved through hers. "-yes."

He was too close again and she was suffocating. He didn't want friendship anymore. He wanted a relationship. He wanted to throw everything they had away, replace it with something temporary, and ruin everything.

Pulling away from his grasp, she hid her face in her hands. "Liam, this isn't...we can't..." she stuttered, palms pressing into her eyes. "We're _friends_, Liam. We're not meant to be anything more. It'd be – just think about it logically. If we started this, we might be the perfect couple, no fights or complaints, just us. Just what you're imagining, I know. But then we'd begin arguing – it always happens – and like ninety percent of relationships, we'd break apart. But it wouldn't be the same for us because as both best friends and lovers, we'd lose everything, Liam. Everything we've been would be erased in a single moment and I know you want to say that it won't end that way but the fact is, it will. Logic says it will." Her voice was gradually getting quieter, almost disappearing. "It would never work...and I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me."

"We'd _break up_, Liam!" She was looking at him now. The disappointment was everywhere: in his eyes, his frown, his posture. "Just like everyone else. Would you really put our whole friendship at risk just to see-"

"It's taking a chance, I know." Liam's voice was still strong and she knew he wasn't going to give up any time soon. "It's a huge risk, a huge chance, but what if it was _right_?"

He wasn't seeing reason. He was only seeing the relationship as the answer, not the problem. "I can't just..._jump _off the edge and hope that it works out. I _can't_. I can't do this. I can't love you."

Liam pushed back from the wall, taking a step backward. Eleanor watched him, hands trembling as he stared at her.

"You can't," he repeated, his voice strangely calm.

She lost him. She lost her best friend. Without even jumping into a relationship, everything was lost.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed.

She waited for him to wipe her tears away, try something else, pull her into his embrace, but he just looked at her. His fingers were flexing slowly as if itching to do something but then he took another step back.

"I'm sorry too," Liam announced before turning and leaving her broken outside of the library.

* * *

I guess that's not the reaction you were all hoping for. Some of you guessed she'd react in this way, so kudos!

Thanks to mew-tsubaki for editing and did you know that adding a comma before the word "too" is an author's choice? The English language is strange.

Next chapter is pretty good, I must admit. I'm working on chapter 40 right now and it takes place at Liam's house. Yes, with his brothers.

Thanks for reading!


	36. Try Something

She couldn't love him.

She said starting a relationship would put their friendship at risk. She said that it would destroy everything they had. She said that it would ruin everything between them. But they never even got to take that chance and she wouldn't even talk to him. He didn't get to have her before he lost her.

Before his confession, their fight consisted simply of not speaking to each other. Now it was strict avoidance. He only got to steal glances at her, look at her from the back of the classroom, watch her from the opposite ends of the Ravenclaw table.

How could losing a friend be _that _simple?

Liam didn't know if Eleanor told anyone. He had watched Joseph carefully the day after, waiting for her boyfriend to come over and hex him for making Eleanor cry.

But nothing happened.

For the entire week, Liam waited for Eleanor to tell Joseph. He _deserved_ to be hexed. He _deserved_ to be yelled at. After all, he tried to steal Joseph's girlfriend and it didn't matter if he was Eleanor's friend first. She was in a committed relationship and he tried to ruin that for her. Liam deserved whatever Joseph did to him.

But Joseph didn't know. No one did, except for maybe Eleanor's roommates.

Liam watched the couple leave the classroom as Suzanne trailed behind them. Just as they were about to go out of the door, Suzanne turned, catching Liam's gaze. His eyes widened and he tried not to look as though he had been caught staring, but it was impossible. If Suzanne didn't know, then she had to be suspicious. Just like the rest of the castle.

Everyone knew that Liam and Eleanor weren't talking and because they had no clue why, they were beginning to gossip. Eleanor shagged Joseph, Eleanor decided she was better than Liam, Joseph wasn't allowing Liam and Eleanor to talk...

Everything was centered around this love triangle that made Liam sick to his stomach.

Stuffing everything recklessly into his bag, he made his way out of the classroom, keeping a safe distance from the couple up ahead. He could see her laughing, grasping onto Joseph's arm as he lead her back to the common room.

Liam grimaced, slowing his pace.

Then he stumbled as something grabbed him by his hand, wrenching him into the nearest classroom. The door shut behind him and Liam grasped for his wand, pulling it out and accidentally poking whatever was right in front of him.

"You're awfully jumpy."

With a "_lumos_," Liam's worst fears were realized. "Oh no."

"What a lovely way to greet someone." The sarcasm was heavy, but somehow, it was with a teasing tone.

"Marnie," Liam started, taking a step back. She hadn't trapped him yet and there was always the other door. "I'm not-" He paused, searching for the right word while looking for his way out, "_fornicating_ with you in a classroom."

She snorted, grabbing his arm and pulling him back toward her. "I'm actually quite flattered that that was your first thought-"

Liam's eyes widened. "No-"

"But I just want to talk."

"Talk?" Liam knew that talking was never on Marnie's to-do list.

"Talk," Marnie agreed with a sincere nod.

"As in no attacking me?"

She laughed. "I never _attacked _you."

"Corridor," Liam reminded her. "Last year."

Marnie's hand was still on his arm and he tried to shake it off but she just held on tighter. "You may be the only boy to object to that-"

"You hate my best friend-" His throat caught on "friend" and he wondered if it was true or not. Probably not anymore. Ex-best friend.

Marnie's eyes suddenly lit up and she let go of his arm finally. "Speaking of Eleanor, when _exactly _did you tell her you love her?"

He blanched and Marnie smirked.

"Was it almost a month ago? That's when you stopped talking."

How did she figure it out?

"Or was it just recently? I think you two have been more hostile this past week. Did she throw a fit when you tried to tell her?"

Liam had to remember how to speak before saying, "She told you?"

"No, but you just did." Marnie laughed, leaning against the wall next to him.

She knew about it. She just guessed and figured it out all by herself. And she had to throw him into an empty classroom to let him know?

He turned his head her way and she looked over at him, that victorious smirk still playing on her lips. "What do you want, Marnie?" he asked.

Marnie stared at him for a few seconds and then said, "Good question. I want to help you."

Help. From Marnie. The girl who used him to get to Eleanor, the girl she despised. "_Why_?"

"Why not?" Marnie was quick to reply.

He wasn't used to these type of mind games. "No, _really_-"

Marnie pushed herself off the wall, stepping in front of Liam. He watched her, wary of any sudden movements. "If I want something, I'm going to get it."

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

The smirk never left her face. "I'll see you around." And with that, she disappeared out of the door.

Liam sighed loudly, thankful that he wasn't snogged again. He didn't know what Marnie was talking about: she was no help to him at all. If she was trying to trick him with her mind games, he wasn't going to let them get the best of him.

-x-

He couldn't go into the common room.

Joseph and Eleanor were always in there, talking and laughing and snogging right in his line of sight. If he tried going to his dormitory, he'd have to walk past them. It was much better sitting outside in the corridor, waiting for the hour to pass before dinner.

Other students walked by him, their eyes studying him. No one asked why he was sitting there; an explanation wasn't needed. They didn't care.

Liam sighed as he played with his tie, tracing over the colors and following the line of the stripes. If he had been sorted into Gryffindor, would things have been different? Would he have had the courage to chase after Eleanor even after she told him "no"?

If she had been sorted into Gryffindor, then would she have given him a chance? Went up and told him "I don't care" and kissed him until he couldn't breathe?

He was almost a Gryffindor. He _almost _wanted to keep trying with her. But he was positive Ravenclaw was the only house the Sorting Hat ever considered for Eleanor. She didn't want to give him that chance.

She was scared.

He understood that.

He was being stupid. He was willing to throw everything away for that idiotic "you know, this might work out to be something more." She was logical, he was not.

Checking the time, Liam calculated that there was still forty minutes until dinner. He slowly got to his feet, taking his time as he walked down the corridor.

Maybe if he took back everything he said, they could be friends again. He could tell her that he was wrong and he only wanted friendship. Friendship was better than nothing.

He needed her in his life. If it was the only way...

Liam just needed to talk to her.

"Liam!"

He stopped on the first step of the staircase. It couldn't be-

The quick, soft footsteps echoing made him turn around, clutching onto the railing as if he was going to fall.

Eleanor was making her way down the corridor, straight toward him. He had to be hallucinating. He wanted to talk to her so badly that he was making this up. She was slowing down, her steps hesitant as she caught his gaze.

He was rooted to the spot, just watching her slowly make her way over. He couldn't even gather his voice to say "hello" or "Eleanor?" or anything. She didn't seem to mind; she kept taking steps over to him.

"I – I just want to try something, okay?" she said, her eyes wider than normal. She was thinking or contemplating something but Liam had no clue what it was. Whatever it was, it was making her tremble noticeably.

Eleanor stopped on the top of the stairs, right in front of him. He had to remember to breathe before he could nod.

"Don't – don't move," she breathed, so close that Liam could actually feel it.

He forgot to blink as Eleanor lifted a shaking hand, pausing a long moment before tentatively placing her fingers on the side of his head. After a moment, she finally brought her palm down, resting it there. She was staring at her hand while Liam stared back at her, watching as she let out a slow breath.

She wasn't-

His breath caught as her fingers curled and she moved her head forward, clearly worried about what to do.

Eleanor's eyes stopped on Liam again, and he could tell by the way she was looking at him that she was scared, but determined to do it anyway. He didn't know why, he didn't know how, but he wasn't going to complain.

Then she froze and Liam could almost feel her bottom lip trembling. Her eyes were downcast and Liam knew she was too frightened to move. But he couldn't wait anymore.

He only moved slightly, but it was enough to close the gap. Suddenly, he was kissing her, his eyes closing as he parted her lips with his. Liam could feel Eleanor's surprise; she was frozen, except for the hand that fell to her side.

He moved his hands to cup her face and felt her finally relax. His heart started pounding when she moved to kiss back, actually _kiss _him back. Liam knew everything about the girl, but _this – _he couldn't even begin to fathom this. It was new and exciting, with some hint of the familiar.

One of his hands found its way into her curls – the curls he never got to touch and now could. He could _touch_ her now without worrying about any boundaries. Everything missing from their previous relationship was now attainable.

Liam was about to deepen the kiss when he heard someone shout down the corridor.

"Eleanor!"

His eyes snapped open and Eleanor immediately moved back, her hands cupping her mouth in surprise. Liam could see Joseph stomping his way over, a blazing look in his eyes. Eleanor gave Liam a quick look before turning around herself.

"What the hell is this, Eleanor?" Joseph shouted, his hands clenched into fists. "I can't believe you would do this behind my back! And with _him_. You said you were- I _never_ knew you were such a slu-"

Liam didn't even wait. As soon as Joseph was in range, he swung back and punched him as hard as he could. There was a sickening crack and Joseph fell back straight onto the cold floor with a loud thud.

It resounded throughout the corridor: the crack of the punch and the fall of Joseph's body. Liam winced, staring at his fingers, too nervous to look at Eleanor. He tried to check his injuries he sustained but his heart and mind were racing.

Taking a deep breath, Liam cleared his throat. "I've been waiting to do that since fifth year," he finally admitted without ever taking his eyes off his hand.

When he glanced up, Eleanor was kneeling down next to Joseph's unmoving body. "I think you knocked him unconscious," she said softly, glancing up at Liam.

"It sure felt like it," he muttered and flinched as he moved his fingers again.

She kept staring up at him and they both fell silent, not sure what to say. She was the one that wanted to kiss him, but he was the one that made it happen. She knew how he felt about her, but he didn't know if she felt the same way. After the way she kissed him back, there was hope, but Liam wasn't sure.

"Should we take him to the hospital wing?" Eleanor asked softly, and then, answering her own question, shook her head. "What am I saying? He doesn't deserve it."

It was then Liam noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks and he fell to his knees beside her. "You okay?"

She shook her head again. "Maybe _I _deserved being called a – maybe I shouldn't have - "

"No, no, you of all people don't deserve to be called anything like that," Liam murmured. "You're wonderful and great and Joseph's a bloody idiot, that's what he is."

"It was just Marnie was talking about the day she kissed you, and I just-"

"Marnie?"

Eleanor nodded. "I thought maybe it'd convince me if I-"

Marnie. It was Marnie's fault that Eleanor kissed him. She had _actually _helped him.

"Does your hand hurt?" Eleanor suddenly changed the subject. Liam looked down at his bruised hand and moved the fingers slightly. It stung, but it didn't seem like any bones were broken.

"A bit. It's only bruised."

He wanted to talk about the kiss. He wanted to ask her everything about it.

"Here, let me see." She took his hand, inspecting the injuries. Without letting go, she moved in front of him to see better, pressing down on his fingers as she did so. It stung even worse, but Liam kept silent. He was too distracted by her close proximity and the urge to kiss her again.

When she looked up, he was already tilting his head down.

"We can't," she said, leaning away from him.

He should have known she wouldn't change her mind that easily. It was just a kiss, and even though he had been dreaming about it, it didn't mean she felt the same.

Eleanor turned her eyes back on his hand, lightly running her fingers over his bruised ones. "We have to put some ice on this first."

He blinked. "_First_?"

She tried to hide her smile, but the corners of her mouth upturned anyway. "First," she confirmed and Liam was sure the whole thing was definitely a dream.

* * *

Punching and snogging and fornicating...what a lovely chapter.

But yes, that just happened. Are they officially together? We shall see. Eleanor did seem to change her mind quickly...

Thanks to mew-tsubaki for editing and all of you for reading!


	37. Bruised Hand

Eleanor watched as Liam winced when she pressed down down slightly on his purple knuckles. "Almost your entire hand is bruised." Frankly, she was surprised that bones weren't broken by the way he swung back and hit Joseph.

"Do you think he's still in the corridor?" Liam asked after a pause, meeting her gaze.

Eleanor shrugged softly. It had only been fifteen minutes, but someone had probably already found him.

She took a moment to think about it: him, lying there unconscious. A student, finding his body and fretting over him. Joseph, telling everyone what happened. Labeling her the cheater and Liam the bad guy.

Again.

Eleanor bit down on her lip, trying not to think about it. Joseph wasn't worth her time anymore.

When she looked back at Liam, he was staring back at her, still waiting for an answer. "No," she finally said. "Someone had to find him by now."

"You're not angry, are you?"

It was the seventh time he asked. Every couple minutes, he questioned her again, probably afraid that she was hiding her disappointment. After all, she was supposed to be angry; he had _punched _her boyfriend. But only because Joseph was about to insult her. _After_ she had initiated a kiss with her best friend. She had no reason to be angry with him. If Liam wasn't complaining about his bruised hand, she wasn't going to complain about Joseph.

"No," she said with a soft laugh to reassure him. "Honestly, Liam, you can stop asking me that. You hit him for a good reason."

"But I hit your boyfriend!"

"_Ex-_boyfriend," she reminded him.

"But-" Thankfully, the appearance of food interrupted him. Eleanor immediately reached for a platter of vegetables, placing some of the shaved ice surrounding the food into a napkin.

Situating the ice on his hand, Eleanor watched him as he muttered a "thanks," his eyes downcast. Instead of continuing with the previous conversation, they fell silent as the other students began to fill the Great Hall.

Eleanor tried to eat, but none of the food looked appetizing. It probably had to do with that "stomach lurching" thing that was a constant ever since Liam kissed her. It was never like that with Joseph. She had only stayed with Joseph until January because he guilted her into it. And it was nice to finally have someone. Marnie always taunted her about not being able to get a boyfriend since Liam was in the way, and then Joseph came along, willing to fight with Liam to be with her anyway.

She liked that.

But she had missed her best friend. It was weird letting Joseph so close to her when Liam used to be the closest male in her life. Then Liam wanted that back. He wanted to be close to her again and she knew she wanted it too; kissing him was weird, but it made _sense_.

"Liam?" Eleanor whispered, breaking the silence.

He must have noticed how awkward she was feeling; he looked over at her with a nervous smile.

"How long?"

He blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

She paused, and then elaborated, "How long have you...had _other _feelings for me?"

"Oh." He sat back. "My birthday." Then he shook his head. "No, probably before that. I'm not exactly sure. It was just...I don't know."

Eleanor let out a slow breath. Before his birthday? Did he possibly have feeling for her all year when she began her relationship with Joseph? Joseph who called her Nora even though she told him she hated the name. Joseph who had just insulted her instead of trying to talk to her about it, jumping to conclusions and called her something that she _wasn't. _Joseph – she _hated _his name.

Liam was absolutely different.

Keeping a steady gaze on the table, Eleanor said, "I'm not sure how this is going to work." Just as Liam was about to protest, she continued, "But I want it to. If it doesn't work out, Liam, you've got to promise me that you won't just...go off and leave me or break my heart or do something that will ruin everything between us, because it's too good to ruin."

Liam leaned forward and she reluctantly caught his gaze. "Why would I ever give up on you?" he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper as everyone began to sit around them.

Instead of replying that it was entirely possible he could fall in love with someone else, Eleanor smiled, falling silent. There was no use arguing now.

"Eleanor!"

A frantic, high voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up, startled, to find the source of the yell. Suzanne then came running over, knocking over a couple third years that accidentally walked in her path.

"What is-" Eleanor began to say, but Suzanne immediately latched onto her arm and tried to pull her out of her seat.

"Come on, you've got to get to the hospital wing," she exclaimed, panting slightly.

Eleanor wretched her arm back, not bothering to move. "Why?"

"They found Joseph in the corridor – _unconscious_! They're saying that someone hexed him, but I saw his face; he has a broken nose, someone hit him! We have to go!"

"Suzanne, sit down," Eleanor insisted, but the girl wasn't hearing any of it. She was in the midst of a panic attack.

"Your boyfriend is in the hospital wing!"

"_Suzanne_." Eleanor looked at her friend and, after a second, Suzanne fell into the seat next to her. "It's okay," Eleanor told her, patting her on the arm.

Suzanne sighed, her hand on her forehead. "Someone-" she began to say again and then her gaze fell on Liam. "Liam?"  
He weakly waved with his undamaged hand, smiling awkwardly. "Hi Suzanne."

She was staring at the both of them, her eyes unblinking. Eleanor knew what she was thinking: something big happened between them. And the next logical conclusion was...

"Your hand," Suzanne pointed out. Both Eleanor and Liam glanced down at his obstructed hand, the napkin completely covering his bruise. Suzanne's eyebrows immediately raised and she shook her head. "You – oh, you _didn't_."

Liam flinched, moving aside the ice so she could see the bruise. "It's-" he began to say.

"You _hit_ him!" Suzanne shouted, catching the attention of the surrounding students. Eleanor and Liam both moved to shush her.

"No, no, it's – it's a long story," Eleanor hastened to explain.

"What's...wrong?" Jared's hesitant voice entered the conversation. Eleanor turned to see him standing behind them, shuffling on his feet. He probably didn't want to interrupt.

With a sigh, Eleanor ushered him to take a seat, exchanging a quick glance with Liam. Suzanne was pretty surprised that Liam hit Joseph; Eleanor didn't know if it was a good or a bad surprise. She never seemed to like Joseph that much, so she couldn't be that disappointed.

"He called me-" her voice dropped, "-something not appropriate."

"What?" Jared hissed.

"Why?" Suzanne exclaimed at the same time.

"I was with Liam and-"

Suzanne rolled her eyes. "He's got to learn that Liam is–" She paused, looking over at Liam quickly before turning her gaze upon Eleanor again. "Wait, are you two friends again?"

It was going to be just a quick explanation: no, more than that, it was a long time coming, but Eleanor's voice caught in her throat on the first word.

"No," Eleanor heard Liam say and then felt Suzanne tense next to her. Eleanor didn't know what Suzanne expected: her and Liam to start fighting, Liam to start yelling, another punch to be thrown.

"But, you two-" Jared started to say and Eleanor found herself interrupting him, rambling without pause.

"We've decided that we're going to begin an actual romantic relationship to see where it goes. It's a logical next step and Liam only punched Joseph because Joseph deserved it-"

She only stopped when Jared and Suzanne's mouths dropped open and they were looking at her like she told them a hippogriff was loose in the castle.

Suzanne's eyes were practically bulging. "You're _together_?"

"As in a _couple_?" Jared added, a single eyebrow raised.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Taken?"

"By each other?"

"Snogging?"

"Holding hands?"

"Being mushy?"

Eleanor couldn't help but enjoy the dumbstruck looks on her friends' faces. "Are you really _that _surprised?"

"Liam _was_ being quite moody lately," Suzanne reasoned, chewing on the inside of her lip. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before he got what he wanted."

When she looked over at Liam, he was grinning. And she had to smile back at him, if only because he was such an idiot.

-x-

"The hippogriff just showed up out of nowhere! I tried to get him out of the castle, but he must have thought I was a threat. He completely broke my nose. Shattered it in six places."

Eleanor could hear Marnie sigh in relief. "I'm so glad you're safe."

Glancing back from her spot at the front of the Potions classroom, Eleanor saw her roommate clutching onto Joseph's arm, gazing at his newly remodeled nose. The slight crooked curve of his nose was gone, and the majority of the female population of Hogwarts was beginning to notice his new perfect "Adonis-like visage."

Even if the rest of Hogwarts was noticing, Eleanor was completely thrown off by the way Marnie was taken in. She had to know about what really happened in the corridor, thus knowing every word out of Joseph's mouth was a lie.

But she was still smiling brightly as she flipped her hair. Eleanor watched, completely transfixed by the couple until Marnie caught Eleanor's gaze, one corner of her mouth turned upward. Marnie definitely knew and definitely didn't care at all.

Giving Marnie a half-hearted smile in return, Eleanor turned back to her Potions textbook, glancing down at the next chapter.

Joseph was lying about the whole encounter. Maybe he was embarrassed. Maybe he wanted more sympathy. Maybe he wanted to look like the hero.

Or maybe he wanted to save Eleanor from the vicious gossip. Joseph had spent the entire night in the hospital wing and the rumors that circulated were awful. Maybe he was trying to dismiss them. She couldn't tell and it was beginning to make her queasy. Why would he do that for her?

"He's only been out of the hospital wing for two hours," Liam was complaining bitterly in the seat next to her. "How does the whole school already know about his seemingly wonderful facial reconstruction?"

He was frustrated; even when he tried to make things worse for his roommate, Joseph always came out on top.

"Liam?"

He turned slightly, gaze locking onto hers. With a smile rivaling Marnie's, Eleanor leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She heard his sharp intake of breath and then she lingered, moving to his ear to say, "I think I owed you that."

"Yeah," Liam whispered when she finally pulled away. "I think you did."

* * *

So, it's official. And, in the spirit of NSMW, I will pose this question: HOW LONG WILL IT LAST? DUN DUN DUN.

I think I'm going to post every third day now, just because I'm falling behind. Though chapter 40 is the reason why; it's almost four thousand words.

Thanks so much for reading! Review if you want, I'd like to hear what you think.


	38. A Holiday

"I always thought Marnie was too high maintenance, but I think it's a fair trade for her..._other _skills, if you get what I mean."

Liam was barely awake, getting ready in the dormitory and listening to Joseph who was already back to talking about his new girl of the week. He never said anything when he was in a relationship with Eleanor; maybe he was being respectful, maybe the relationship was different. Liam didn't know, but he was somewhat glad. If Joseph had said anything vulgar about Eleanor, then he definitely would have been punched sooner.

Joseph didn't even seem to care about Eleanor and Liam. He was angry for that split second when he found them and then, after he was hit, he was perfectly fine. It was probably because of his newfound fame with the female population of Hogwarts, but Liam still didn't understand. Joseph was with Eleanor for almost five months. Five months of being with the same girl (a Joseph record) and then, suddenly, he was fine with it all ending.

Liam wanted to ask about it, but every time he got close to Joseph, his roommate turned away, ignored Liam, and made sure the subject was as far as it could be from relationships. Joseph only brought up girls when Harrison and Diego were around to listen.

"Marnie's been asking for jewelry for Valentine's Day, but I know what she _really _wants."

Liam blinked, glancing up his bookbag. Valentine's Day. Moving aside the parchment in the bag, he found his calendar hidden at the bottom. Five days.

Five days until the most romantic day of the year.

It was never like this before, but of course, they weren't together then. Valentine's Day was just another day of the year; they never treated it like something special. He had no clue what Eleanor would want. She liked chocolate, but he got her chocolate for her birthday all the time. That wasn't anything special. What else did she like?

Maybe she hated Valentine's Day. She never saw her celebrating it. Last year, he gave her same candy hearts his mother sent, but they made fun of the sayings on the candy. Maybe she liked to make fun of the entire holiday.

Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Liam quickly made his way out of the dormitory. Eleanor was already waiting for him, sitting on a couch in the middle of the common room. He watched her for a few seconds, analyzing her every move, but nothing new came to him. He knew everything about her but still had no clue what she would want for Valentine's.

With a sigh, Liam walked into the common room. "Good morning," he greeted her.

She turned toward him. "Good morning," she replied. It had been only one week – exactly one week – since they had began their new relationship. And, other than the snogging thing, it was like nothing changed.

"I have a question," Liam blurted out, sitting down across from her. She raised an eyebrow at his proclamation, but he didn't care; he couldn't wait. "What do you want for Valentine's?"

Her eyebrow was still arched. "Oh, that's coming up, isn't it?"

He should've known that Eleanor wasn't going to give a straight answer. Giving her an exasperated look, Liam nodded. "Yes, it's in five days."

Eleanor gave him a look in return as she stood up. She was smiling and then said, with a chuckle, "Oh, well, you'll think of something."

_Something_.

That was all she was going to give him.

After a long groan in protest, Liam felt Eleanor pulling him out of his seat and he gave her another tired look. "Eleanor..."

She smiled at the look on his face. "You'll think of something," she repeated, resting her hands on his arms as if it would help.

But it didn't help. Something could be anything. And he couldn't just get her anything.

-x-

Valentine's Day was on a Monday.

A _Monday_. Probably the worst day of the week. It was the most tiring and long day and flying Cupids and copious amounts of pink weren't going to change that.

Liam made his way into the Great Hall, hesitant that he would be attacked with Cupid's arrows. Eleanor didn't seem to mind; she barely noticed as she sat down and began spreading jam on her toast.

For some reason, there was no Hogsmeade trip the week before Valentine's Day. Liam had no time to buy something and he wasn't the only one. Everyone around them was exchanging homemade gifts from cardboard cards to badly charmed bears that were saying "I loathe you" instead of "I love you."

"I don't understand this holiday," Eleanor murmured, folding her piece of bread.

Liam immediately looked over at her, ready for some hint as to what she wanted. "What?"

Eleanor shrugged. "It's all about love, but I don't understand why everyday can't be like Valentine's Day. Putting love into one day is a bit extreme."

"What do you want?" Liam found himself asking without thinking.

She blinked. "Are you _still _trying to find something-"

He furiously shook his head. "No, I'm just – I was going to get you some candy hearts, but that was last year's thing. And then I was going to get you a card, but how boring is that? And then I was going to try to charm something, but I didn't know what charm to use and I began debating about that. So, what do you want? I'm desperate here."

To his surprise, Eleanor began laughing again. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't April Fools Day and she needed to stop laughing at everything he said, but he stopped himself. "Seriously," he added instead.

"I just told you Valentine's Day should be like every other day," she said, "I want every other day, Liam."

"But that's not special!" he argued.

She laughed again. _Again. _"Being with you is special enough."

Liam turned around, glancing for any flying objects and then looked back at her. "Did Cupid hit you with an arrow? Because that was awfully sappy."

"You should try being sappy sometimes," Eleanor exclaimed, leaning forward. "I hear girls like it."

He was about to come up with every single time he did something for her that would be considered sappy, but he stayed quiet. If she didn't want anything _special_, then he had an idea.

-x-

"You do know that on Valentine's Day you're supposed to be _with _your girlfriend and not avoiding her, right?"

Liam tried to hide his smile, but it was impossible. "You do know that today is like any other day, right?" When he looked up, Eleanor was frowning at him. "Come here."

With a sigh, Eleanor sat down, turning against the arm of the couch to face him. She moved her feet into his lap and then narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?" he chuckled.

"Do you hate Valentine's Day?"

She asked like she was threatening his decision not to get her anything for the holiday after her whole spiel about how she didn't understand the holiday.

"No, I think it's really for the romantics though," Liam answered. "And it's nice to tell someone how much you like them through sappy ways and not be ridiculed for it."

He expected her to laugh at him, but she only blinked at him, shifting her weight awkwardly. "I'd really like a nap actually," she finally said, shaking her head. "Is that a good suggestion for a present? Some sort of sleeping drought?" She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes and then pulled her hair up into a makeshift ponytail. "We could be really different and sit here and...talk instead of the other couples snogging around us."

Liam checked his surroundings and counted five other couples. At least it was less than last year. "Talk?"

"Yeah." She was hesitating and Liam didn't know why. "You – you know how I see categorize everything as being logical or not?" She opened one eye, focusing on him. He nodded as she moved to sit up, tucking her feet underneath her. "And that's what I said about this relationship. I based it all on logic, instead of what basing it on what I feel – like you do. It's logical that it's the next step, it's logical that most couples break up, it's logical that we're in this relationship."

Eleanor paused, biting down on her lip. "But – I like you too. It's not just that it's logical; it's more than that. I don't know. You're different than everyone else and it's – it's like those romance novels – not the corny, awful ones – but the ones that make sense. I just had to tell you."

It was a rambling speech, full of stumbled words, but Liam could care less. Moving forward, he brushed a piece of hair out of her face, causing her to take in a shaky breath. "It's nice to know you like me."

Eleanor laughed softly and he let his hand linger on her cheek. Her eyes fell on the object in his other hand: the only flower he recognized from inside the greenhouses – a white orchid. Smiling at the look on her face, he turned it around, placing the stem behind her ear.

"Tá tú go h-álainn," he whispered and although he knew she didn't understand him, her confused expression slowly changed into a content smile.

"Ditto," she tried, and he laughed, kissing her lightly on her nose before moving to kiss her properly.

* * *

More sappy fluff JUST FOR YOU.

Also, chapter 40 is quite special because it involves a wedding and some...brothers...

Thanks for reading!


	39. Hogsmeade Visit

Instead of being just before exams, the last Hogsmeade trip fell on a cold and rainy April day. Eleanor completely froze in the icy wind, but it was worth it to spend a whole day with her friends instead of with quills and parchment. And yet, when she found herself in Scrivenshaft's, Eleanor didn't have the heart to pass up the chance to grab some spare writing utensils. Suzanne and Jared both rolled their eyes at her. Liam expected it.

They were making their way down the muddy road to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer before leaving; Jared was in the front, Suzanne trailing him and then Eleanor and Liam straggling a few meters behind.

"I hate the last Hogsmeade trip of the year." Eleanor watched in amusement as Jared stomped around in circles for a second before he turned back around to face the group. "Having to stock up on everything from Honeydukes and Zonko's...do you know how difficult it is to carry everything back to the castle?"

He stumbled, struggling with his four bags: three from Honeydukes and the other full of tricks from Zonko's. Even though Eleanor had tried to talk to him about the importance of the other shops, such as Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop and Tomes and Scrolls, Jared only began ranting about his amazing purchases from the _good _stores. When she exchanged a look with Liam, he just shrugged in return.

"And – oh, I haven't checked out Dominic's Maestro's! I could get some music to bring home and, wait there! I'll be back-"

Suddenly, he was running in the opposite direction, dropping his bag of sweets in the middle of the road.

They watched him for awhile as he scampered out of sight. Finally, with a sigh, Suzanne stepped forward, kneeling down to grab the missing bag. "I suppose I'll go and return this to him before he has a heart attack. Do you want to meet in the Three Broomsticks then?"

Eleanor nodded, grabbing onto Liam's hand. "We'll see you there."

Liam intertwined their fingers, tugging on her hand slightly to pull her in. "You didn't even buy anything at Honeydukes," he exclaimed as they walked over to the entrance of the shop. "How do you get through exams without any sweets?"  
"Because I know how to study without using sugar to stay awake," Eleanor replied and Liam sighed dramatically.

"I am not giving you any when you beg for a Chocolate Frog-"

She turned to him, her eyebrows raised. "I wouldn't have to beg. You'd probably just give it to me because you'd feel guilty."

Liam grinned as they made their way inside the crowded building. Eleanor scanned the room for anyone she knew, but it was too busy to pick out people from the groups.

"I'll go and get us some drinks," Liam had to shout, even though he was leaning down next to her ear.

She nodded in response and mouthed "I'll get a seat," pointing over to the opposite side of the room. It took awhile to find an empty table, but finally, Eleanor grabbed one in the back of the pub. Even when she stood on the chair, it was impossible to see Liam on the other side; hopefully, Suzanne and Jared would be able to find them.

Twirling the mood ring around her finger (a shade of blue-green: easygoing), Eleanor listened to the conversations around her. It was all petty things: mostly relationship issues, nothing about schoolwork or Hogwarts in general. She sighed, trying to tune out the troublesome couples around her.

"Hello."

Eleanor looked up, expecting to see Liam sitting across from her with two mugs of butterbeer or even Jared and Suzanne, but not Joseph Carrington.

She froze.

He was smiling at her, _smiling _as if they hadn't went through a failed relationship. Smiling like they were still talking. Even though they were still prefects, they hadn't said a single word to each other since January. And after Liam had decked him, Eleanor couldn't blame Joseph; she understood his hosility completely.

She just didn't want to talk to her ex-boyfriend ever again.

"Hello," she greeted him anyway, though she was hesitant. Joseph was looking at her with an analyzing eye and it was making her feel uncomfortable. If only she had her butterbeer and had something to clutch and distract her.

"How have you been?"

Just like that – so easily. Why was he talking to her at all?

"Good," Eleanor said shortly, and then before she could stop herself: "I see your nose is fine."

He stared at her unblinkingly and Eleanor tried her best to keep a steady gaze back at him. He didn't seem fazed, however as he let out a full laugh. "Still so direct. I just thought we'd talk, Eleanor."

She slowly shook her head. He had to be crazy if he thought it was going to be this easy. "You insulted me."

"I was angry," Joseph hastened to say, "I wasn't thinking-"

"I don't understand." It was all coming out – her doubts, her fears, her confusion. After months with him and then months apart, Eleanor still didn't have any answers. Their relationship was one big mystery to her, something that made her stay awake at night, trying to figure out each piece. "You were with me for five months and then everything just changed."

"You," Joseph paused, his eyes surveying her again, "-were a..._challenge_."

"A challenge?"

Everything came down to a game. Eleanor bit down hard on her lip to stop every harsh word that came to mind. He had to explain himself first and then_, then_ she'd give him a talking to.

"Not a challenge to get to!" Joseph quickly explained himself, leaning forward. Eleanor immediately moved back, inching her chair away. "A challenge to be with. With Liam and everything else-"

"So you stayed with me for five months because you liked the challenge?" The whole thing was already making her sick. A _challenge. _She wasted all those months for a _challenge_.

"No, I liked you too." Joseph moved forward again. Eleanor noticed that he was trying to give her some pathetic expression, but she wasn't going to be fooled. "It was good for me, you know, not to go from one girl to the next, A nice change of pace. I really enjoyed being around you. With anyone else, it would have been torture. With you, it was...just...different."

Eleanor blinked. "You're not making any sense, Joseph."

He smiled again. "I never do."

They fell into an awkward pause and Eleanor wasn't sure whether he was being serious or not. Why would he tell her all of this now? Why would he tell her at all? Was he feeling guilty about their relationship? Was he planning something?

"Why are you even talking to me?" she asked slowly.

He shrugged, looking in the opposite direction. Eleanor caught sight of Marnie who was looking around, presumably for Joseph. "I don't know. You were sitting here and I just needed to say something," he said after a couple seconds, turning to look at her again.

Eleanor tried to give him a reassuring smile, something that wouldn't make her seem less heartless, but she couldn't. If this was Joseph's explanation, it wasn't enough. Nothing would make her forget the words he said to her.

Chewing on her lip again, Eleanor looked beyond Joseph and let out a breathe of relief when she saw Liam making his way through the crowd. "Liam's coming back."

"I'm also sorry."

It was hurried and if Eleanor wasn't paying attention, she would have missed it.

"What?"

He actually looked apologetic as if he was sorry and guilty about the whole thing. She _never _thought she'd see guilt on Joseph's face. "Sorry about...everything."

"You're apologizing?" Eleanor had to confirm.

"Yes."

He was making _no _sense. "But-"

Joseph then looked up, noticing the tall Ravenclaw across the room. Practically jumping out of his seat, Joseph gave her a quick pat on the shoulder. "I really did like you."

Eleanor flinched at the contact, watching as Joseph scrambled back into the crowd. Liam caught sight of him, turning abruptly to glare at the Ravenclaw. For a second, Eleanor thought Liam was going to accuse Joseph, bring a fight in the Three Broomsticks, but he only narrowed his eyes and then turned back to Eleanor.

"What took you so long?" she asked as he sat down in Joseph's previous seat.

Liam slid her drink over to her, sipping on his own before answering, "That ruddy owl will _not _leave me alone. Of course my mum would get the owl that doesn't understand how post works and then _had_ to follow me into Hogsmeade to deliver this." Eleanor looked at the letter in his hand. "My brother is getting married."

Eleanor's eyebrows rose. "Which one?"

"Sean," Liam answered, "Lindsay, his fiancée, is expecting a child in September so they're getting married in the summer. He said, well, he wants – here, I'll just read it to you." Folding out the letter in front of him, he began reading. "_I'm demanding that you bring a date to the wedding. Don't even try to get yourself out of it, because I've already planned the seating arrangement – okay, so Lindsay planned the seating arrangement, but I bribed her to add a plus one, so you have to bring a date. Good luck, little brother!_"

Liam glanced up warily to see Eleanor smiling, obviously amused by Sean's words.

"Aww, poor Liam, where are you _ever_ going to get a date?" Liam sent her an exasperated look, crumbling the piece of paper in his hand. "Did you not tell them?" she pressed on.

"I tried and Sean obviously didn't believe me. They still act like I'm five and incapable of _anything_! I mean, even when I got the letter from Hogwarts – they acted like it was nothing and I was _nothing-" _

"I know," Eleanor interrupted, having to reach out and place a hand on his arm to get him to stop talking. "So, here's your chance to prove them wrong. When's the wedding?"

Liam sighed loudly and looked down at the letter again. "June 17th."

Eleanor immediately leaned forward, squinting her eyes at him. "What?" he asked, clearly not getting it. She shrugged, placing her hands on her chin to wait. He paused, glancing side to side before turning back to her, eyes wide in realization. "Eleanor Bennett, will you do me the honor of being my date to my brother's wedding?"

He probably thought he was being charming, but Eleanor couldn't help but begin laughing. Liam watched her, the smile on his face quickly dropping.

"That was-" she finally managed to say, "-so _perfect_."

"Why are you laughing at me then?" he asked her, his eyes wide in disbelief. Disbelief just because she was _laughing_.

"Because you had to be oh so proper," she exclaimed. "And very sickeningly cute."

Liam paused, looking at her as if he wasn't sure how to respond. "Sorry?"

She smiled while shaking her head. "Don't be." She laughed then, this time imagining the looks on his brothers' faces. "I'd love to go."

* * *

I know I disappeared for awhile, but I have two excuses. One: I was on vacation. And two: I'm getting burnt out writing this story. Yes, already. I love you'll probably hate me for it, but I'm going to try to update whenever I write now. Which may not be every other day, but it won't be painfully long between updates. At most, a week. I've actually been forcing myself to write and those chapters aren't that good.

But yes, I will still update. And there's more Liam/Eleanor to come. The next chapter is...pretty interesting.

Thanks for sticking with me!


	40. Pritchard Wedding

Other than Liam, the only member of the wizarding world in Athy, Ireland was an elderly lady. She lived in a cottage off of the main road, only a mile away from the Pritchards, and since her fireplace was hooked up to the Floo Network, Liam and Eleanor set up their meeting at her house.

It was early in the morning and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon as Liam walked up the path to Ms. White's house. After sprinting mostly the way there, he took the time to catch his breath and slow down.

His brothers had no clue where he was going. They still believed he didn't have a date to bring even after Liam insisted he had asked someone. And when Liam tried to explain, Conner had only laughed at him and slapped him on the back. Sean just shook his head, too busy fixing his tie to comment any further.

They were going to definitely take back their words.

"Good morning, Ms. White!" Liam called out to the woman bustling around in the garden.

She took her time to turn away from her tulips, straightening her back before looking over at Liam with a smile. "Ah, Liam," she exclaimed, squinting her eyes at him. "Today's the big day, isn't it?"

Stopping next to her, Liam placed his hands in his pockets and grinned. "It is."

"Well, come inside and I'll get you some biscuits while you wait." She ushered him inside the small house, gesturing toward a big armchair in front of the fireplace. Liam sat down on the edge of the seat, nervously bouncing his leg, itching to get up again.

"So," he heard Ms. White shout from the kitchen. "How is Sean?"

"Fine," Liam answered as she came through the doorway with a plate of steaming biscuits. "He really isn't worrying that much – I guess it's because he's been together with Lindsay for five years." He took a biscuit and began crumbling it up nervously in his hands. "Thank you."

"Five years? Such a long time," Ms. White said, grabbing a cup of tea and sitting down across from him.

Liam took a bite and chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds. "It's like she's already part of the family since it feels like she's always been there. And she tells off Sean and Conner, which is great."

Ms. White smiled and, after a pause, asked, "And who are we waiting for?"

"Oh." Liam stalled, looking over to the fireplace and then back at his neighbor. "It's, um, my date to the wedding."

Liam was relieved when she didn't start questioning him over the fact that he had a date. He was fully expecting it from his mother later. Instead, she calmly took a sip of her tea and said, "That's nice. How did you meet her?"

"She's my best friend actually. Since the beginning of school," Liam started to say, but a loud whoosh and a thump startled him out of his seat.

Eleanor was crouching on the floor awkwardly to stop herself from falling, coughing from the ash. Without a word, Liam took her hands and helped her to her feet.

"Thanks," she said softly, brushing the soot off of her clothes. "I'm never going to get used to the Flooing," she added in a low murmur.

Liam smiled softly. "You'll be able to apparate soon."

She stood on her toes, peering over his shoulder to look at the woman in the chair. "Hello." She pulled her hands out of Liam's grasp and held out the right one. "I'm Eleanor. Thank you for letting me use your home."

Ms. White nodded, shaking Eleanor's hand. "You're welcome." Her eyes went to Liam who was standing behind them. "Is sí álainn."

He could feel Eleanor's eyes on him, questioning him once again, but he didn't answer. Nodding in agreement with Ms. White, Liam turned to see the slight frown on his Eleanor's face, but waited until they were outside before looking back at her.

Eleanor immediately pulled on Liam's arm when she caught his eyes on her. "What did she say?" He chuckled. "No, really, Liam," Eleanor pressed on. "Is it what you tell me all the time? The last word sounded familiar."

"Tá tú go h-álainn," Liam proclaimed, and Eleanor nodded quickly at the familiar phrase, probably expecting him to tell her what it meant. Smiling at the look of impatience on her face, he shook his head. "It's my secret."

Eleanor sighed, letting go of his arm to walk on the other side of the road.

"Hey," he laughed, jogging over to her. She was taking long strides, her arms crossed in front of her defensively. "It's not like it's anything bad. My neighbor even agrees."

"Agrees?" She turned to him, her eyes blazing. "About what then?"

Liam grinned at Eleanor's expression. Every time he used his favorite Gaelic phrase, she demanded on knowing what it meant; it drove her absolutely crazy she had no clue what he was saying. He even caught her trying to research Irish Gaelic once, but the library only mentioned the language in one textbook with no translation. "You know I can't just tell you."

She frowned, giving him a hard look before turning back toward Ms. White's house. "I'm going back home."

Laughing, Liam pulled on her hand, turning her around. "And leave me to my brother's torturing? You can't!"

Eleanor wrenched her hand away to cross her arms again, but she was walking in the right direction. "It's as if I'm an outsider that people are gossiping about."

"You _are_ an outsider and you will _definitely_ be gossiped about," he told her.

"You aren't helping."

Moving in front of her, Liam turned to walk backward, dragging his feet along the road. He watched as she frowned at him, biting down on her lip hard. "I gave you quite a nice compliment and you turned it down," he finally said.

"Then what does it mean?" she demanded.

He almost caved, just to make her smile but he knew he couldn't. "It would ruin it if I told you."

"Because it's bad?"

"No," he insisted, "because it's a mystery and I know you love how the words flow together. It would ruin it if I told you 'this word means this, this word means that' and I thought you'd like to wonder and just enjoy it for what it is."

She stopped, staring him down before saying, "Well, it _is_ a beautiful phrase."

"Tá tú go h-álainn." Eleanor immediately glowered. "What? It fit perfectly."

"Oh, really? I wouldn't know," she teased him, continuing on the path and refusing to look back.

-x-

"Wow."

Eleanor stopped in the middle of the road. The scene in front of her was chaotic; people were running around, carrying flowers and making frequent trips back and forth between the front and the back of the house.

"They wanted the wedding to be in the backyard," Liam began to explain. "I don't know why. We had to pull weeds and trim the grass for days before it was even acceptable. But I think it looks pretty nice." They both stepped back as someone whisked by carrying a huge bouquet of flowers. He looked over at her and gestured toward the house. "Want to get dressed?"

She could only nod, watching the people rush by. Taking her hand, Liam lead her in the house, through the crowds of people that paid no attention to the two teenagers. After squeezing and pushing their way through everyone, they finally made it to a staircase. More people threatened to push them over the railing, but they slowly made their way upstairs and down the hall to a door.

"Come on," Liam exclaimed, grabbing Eleanor's hand and pulling her up the staircase that was hidden behind the door. Turning around the corner, they ended in a room with a triangle-shaped ceiling and a low window.

Liam stayed by the stairs as Eleanor slowly made her way over to the window, peering outside. "Is this the attic?" she asked, turning around.

Liam gestured toward the bed in the corner. "My room."

She turned toward it, staring for awhile before looking back at him. "You live in the attic?"

"Well, I lived with Conner for awhile but I used to come up here all the time to get away. He was always tricking me and locking me out of the room. So, a couple years ago, I just moved everything up here and nobody really said anything." Eleanor gave him a sympathetic smile and he added, "So, I'll leave you to get dressed up here, and I'll see if I can find an empty room."

"Thanks," she said quietly and Liam ventured back downstairs, closing the door behind him.

He had stowed away his tux in Conner's room and hoped that neither Conner nor Sean were waiting for him. Peering inside the bedroom, Liam held his breath, waiting for his brothers to jump out in front of him. But it was empty.

Still, he quickly fumbled his way through every piece of his suit, adjusting his tie as he made his way out of the room and flattening himself against the wall. As soon as he came to the end of the hallway, Liam called out, "Eleanor, are you dressed?"

No answer.

Letting out a slow breath, he began climbing the staircase, repeating, "Eleanor?" Every time he called, there was no answer. She wasn't there.

His heart skipped a beat and he immediately turned around, eyes wide. Conner and Sean. They found her. They took her. They were probably taking to her about _him_.

"Eleanor?"

Liam sprinted downstairs, checking every room, staircase, and hallway before making his way outside, past the decorators and the caterers and everything frilly. She wasn't in the front yard. She wasn't in the back yard.

She wasn't anywhere.

With a loud sigh, Liam came to a rest next to the stone steps that led down to the patio. Maybe she had left and decided not to go through the torture of his brother's wedding. No, she wouldn't do that to him. She had to be somewhere...

"Little brother!"

Within seconds, Liam felt someone's hands on his shoulders and he scrambled to get out of the way before his brother jumped on his back. "Conner, what are you doing?"

"We found you!" the middle brother exclaimed. Liam always hated how similar they were in appearance: both light eyes and same hair color. Though Conner's hair was shaggy, so long it covered his eyes. Sean had darker hair with their father's eyes: a murky dark green. Even though Liam was over six feet tall, both of his brothers still towered over him.

Liam groaned, not ready to take his brothers' antics just yet. "Great."

Conner didn't seem to notice as he threw an arm around Liam's shoulders. "It's a great day, isn't it? Sean's marrying Lindsay. I've got Ava, and oh, who did you bring, Liam?"

And, even though Sean was about to become a husband and should have been mature, he still joined in. "Is she invisible? Did you put an invisible spell on her?"

Conner's mouth dropped open as he exaggerated surprise. "You're hiding her from us, aren't you? You turned her into this rock, right?" He picked up the closest rock and waved it in Liam's face. "Really? You would do this just to keep your little girlfriend a secret?"

"I came with a date, okay?" Liam finally interrupted. "I'm trying to find her."

Sean laughed. "Are you sure she didn't just fly away?" He looked up, his eyes searching the skies. "Behind that cloud, there?" He pointed to the only cloud in the sky, grinning broadly.

Then Conner pushed Sean out of the way. "No, no. Liam must have brought that elderly lady from down the road. Ms. White, is it? She's coming, right?"

"Why do you have to tease me about this?" Liam asked through gritted teeth.

They just laughed again. "Because you're our little brother and you're so adorable."

"Adorable?" Liam mouthed, but his brothers weren't paying attention.

"There's that one girl – Siobhan! Did you bring her?"

Siobhan. Liam wondered if she was going to show up at all. He really didn't feel like dealing with her with Eleanor.

Eleanor. Where _was _she?

"Oh, there's Ava!" Conner announced loudly, startling Liam.

Sean tilted his head to the side, squinting to see into the distance. "Who's the blonde?"

Immediately, Liam stepped away from his brothers, recognizing the blonde curls. Ava, a dark-haired slender girl, and Eleanor were making their way down the stone steps. Eleanor was wearing a short blue dress, but what she was wearing didn't matter. All he knew was that she looked stunning. She smiled when she caught him staring.

"I thought I lost you," he exclaimed, wincing when he realized he sounded breathless.

She glanced over at Ava. "I was trying to find you and I walked by the room where the bride was getting ready. They invited me in." She shrugged slightly, a frown playing on her lips. "I would have tried to find you but I had no clue where I was."

"It's okay," Liam reassured her, and then turned in the direction of his brothers with a big grin. "This is Eleanor Bennett."

His grin didn't falter when Conner squinted his eyes and Sean crossed his arms. "Did you pay her?" Sean asked.

"No," Liam responded, reaching for Eleanor's hand. She took it, giving his hand a slight squeeze in return. "I didn't pay her. She came because she wanted to."

Conner laughed and Ava sighed in exasperation. Perhaps she knew what a jerk his brother was, but didn't say anything about it. "Prove it."

Liam shook his head. "I don't have to prove anything to you," he said, "Let's go and find my mum."

But when he pulled on Eleanor's hand, she resisted. "Wait-" Eleanor said, speaking to his brothers for the rest time. Liam cringed, waiting for the onslaught. "What does, um..." She paused, looking up briefly. "'Tá tú go h-álainn' mean?"  
The reaction was immediate: a look of recognition passed over their faces. "Why?" Sean asked, glancing over at Liam with a sly smile, causing Liam to tug impatiently on Eleanor's hand.

"Liam says it to me all the time." With a groan, he tried not to look at their faces. "What does it mean?"

Conner then smirked, waving his hands at the couple. "Oh, nothing. Now, go and frolic or do whatever you kids do."

"But I have-" Eleanor tried again, but Liam couldn't stand to hear whatever his brothers were going to say. Even if he had to drag her away. "Liam!" she complained as he pulled her away from the group.

"You never ask my brothers what something means," Liam explained as soon as they were far enough away. "They probably were going to tell you that it meant something offensive or I hate you or something awful."

"It's not, is it?"

"Of course not. It's only a compliment." Liam turned to her, stopping in the middle of the yard. She sighed at him, blowing the hair out of her face and he smiled at her frustration. "Just ignore anything they try and tell you. I promise you, it's nothing bad and it's quite wonderful, okay?"

"Wonderful," she repeated, biting down on her lip again.

He blinked, noticing the gesture. "What?" Eleanor stalled, tilting her head at him. Liam could hear his mother yelling at someone behind him, but it didn't matter anymore. "What?" he repeated softly, curling his fingers around hers.

"Is it 'I love you'?" It was soft, barely audible but every syllable was still clear to him.

"That's not a compliment," he breathed and she pulled back.

"Right." She cleared her throat, her shoulders dropping in disappointment.

Disappointment. She was disappointed. Disappointed he didn't say it. She wanted to hear it. She-

"Gráim thú," he murmured before he could think through any consequences.

Eleanor drew in a breath. "What?"

"Gráim thú," he repeated and when she blinked at him, he translated "I love you."

She seemed speechless, blinking a few more times with her mouth slightly open in shock. He didn't pause to wait for Eleanor to find her words and instead, turned away to greet the woman standing directly behind them. "Hey mum."

"Liam!" He was suddenly smothered into a hug. "Can you believe Sean is getting married? You're never allowed to get married. Promise me. I can't do this two more times." She said it all into Liam's tux, practically burying herself into the cloth.

"It's going to be all right, mum," Liam tried to comfort her, but she began shaking her head, muttering something about how her boys were growing up. Finally, she took a step back, straightening Liam's tie before her eyes stopped on Eleanor.

"Oh!" Eleanor gave her a small smile. "You brought someone?"

"I wasn't lying," Liam began to say, but his mother didn't hear him. She was already clasping her hands around Eleanor's and staring her down.

"I think I've seen you before. Is she that pretty girl from the train station? Liam, you never told me she was your girlfriend – why didn't you tell me about her?"

He flushed and said, "I did. She's Eleanor – you know, best friend since I was eleven and we just recently-"

"Oh, you two!" Liam's mother cut him off, grabbing Eleanor into an unexpected hug. Liam watched as Eleanor awkwardly wrapped her arms around the older lady, nervously patting her on the back before letting go. "You can call me Charlotte and I think Brion is somewhere around here..." She glanced around the yard. "He was just here."

"Actually, mum, I think I saw him over by the garden, so I'll have him met Eleanor really quickly before the ceremony starts. Love you, bye." Before his mother could complain, Liam steered Eleanor away.

"Brion?"

Liam hesitated. "My father, yes."

"He's here?"

"Yes." Liam nervously began playing with his hands. "It's not that I don't want you to meet him, it's...I don't know how to act around him and I've been avoiding him and we haven't really talked yet."

"Is he...just here for the wedding?"

He knew she was trying to be cautious about the topic, but there was no way around it. "Leaving tonight actually. Not even staying the night. Don't mind though, it's better that way. I don't want to see them arguing."

They walked in silence for about a minute, and then Eleanor gently squeezed Liam's hand, just enough to bring his attention back onto her. Instead of an instant response, Eleanor paused and Liam felt her fingers intertwine with his. Her eyes were cast downward, staring at their connected hands and Liam couldn't tell if something was wrong.

"Eleanor?" her name came out in a worried whisper.

She didn't answer. Or she did – but Liam couldn't hear her over the pounding in his ears. She moved in front of him, looking up to catch his gaze.

He couldn't find anything to say but "hi."

Eleanor laughed. "Hi," she greeted him back. "What was it?" she then said, scrunching up her nose in thought. Liam refrained from telling her how adorable it was and only gave her a strange look. "Graim thú?"

He smiled. "Gráim thú. Accent on the 'a.'"

She mouthed it a couple times and then 'hmm'ed. "Why don't I leave you to the Gaelic and I'll stick with that plain English 'I love you'?"

Liam didn't hesitate to kiss her in front of everyone. "I think that works."

* * *

So, I really, really, really love the Pritchard family. I even created a family tree for them.

Except for love for them isn't even enough to get me to write. I haven't written a chapter in a couple weeks and I'm just burned out, I guess. I don't know if I'll update this story soon, but I'm trying. Still trying. Maybe I won't post in a week, maybe I will. I hope.

Thanks so much for reading!


	41. The Reception

Immediately after the breezy nuptials, the wedding party moved to the porch where the reception was to take place. It was a complete outdoor wedding where everything was decorated in whites and blues and, as the sun began to set, bright, twinkling lights outlined the entire backyard.

Even though Liam warned her about his brothers, Eleanor really didn't find them all that awful. It was probably because she barely had to deal with them; it was mostly glances and smirks sent in her direction. They only audibly taunted and teased when she was a good distance away from Liam. His brothers probably thought she couldn't hear them and it was only bothering Liam, but she could hear everything, including their discussion about dancing.

Eleanor knew she was awful at dancing and Liam thankfully understood that. His brothers, however, wanted to know why he wasn't being a gentleman and dancing with her. She even heard Conner mention something about how _he _was going to ask her to dance if Liam didn't do anything about it.

Eleanor saw Liam scowl, but when he walked back over to her and slumped back in his seat, he didn't mention anything about it. She wanted to say "you'd rather see Conner ask me to dance by dragging me out on the floor?" but knew he was only staying silent to respect her. If she didn't want to dance, he wasn't going to make her.

The wedding party was beginning to diminish and there were only a handful of people left when the music faded into familiar piano chords. Liam immediately recognized it, sitting up straighter and chancing a glance at Eleanor.

She knew exactly what was going through his head before he had the chance to speak. "One dance," she compromised.

He grinned, grabbing her hands. "I promise, it won't be that bad," he said, stopping in the middle of the dance floor. Eleanor could see Conner watching them and winced involuntarily. They were going to be watching them. "Just ignore them," Liam added, placing his right hand on the small of her back. Still holding onto her hand, he began to lead her in a slow dance.

She stumbled a few times, accidentally stepping on his feet, but he just smiled. "Sorry," she mumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I can just – feel everyone's eyes on us."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "I think they played this song because they knew it would get us to dance."

She listened to the song for a couple seconds ("_Two strangers learn to fall in love again and I __get the joy of rediscovering you. Oh girl, you stand by me. I'm forever yours, faithfully_") and then looked up at him. "It's actually pretty clever."

"My brothers are evil geniuses, you know," he murmured.

Eleanor laughed softly, leaning her head on his chest so she wouldn't have to see the onlookers. She was quite surprised that Liam even knew how to dance; judging by his flailing when listening to Journey, she thought that was all he could do. Slow dancing to Journey was something that never crossed her mind.

She barely noticed when the song finished. Liam finally pulled back, leaning down to whisper, "My father's coming over."

Eleanor paused, watching as Liam let go. "Hello," he said to the man.

After everything Liam had said, Eleanor wasn't ready to turn around and face his father. Liam was so nervous about this meeting that it had become her fear too.

After taking in a deep breath, she turned around and saw Liam's father up close for the first time. He was a thin man, towering over her, even taller than Liam and he was frowning which caused strong lines to appear across his forehead. Just by his expression, he looked absolutely menacing.

"Dia dhiut."

Even the language sounded more harsh with Liam's father as the speaker.

"This is Eleanor Bennett," Liam then said, lacing his fingers with hers. "Eleanor, my father, Brion Pritchard."

She was about to say "nice to meet you" when Brion's eyes narrowed in her direction. "Eileanóra?"

Liam's fingers tightened around hers. "She's not Irish, dad. It's just Eleanor."

Liam's father kept staring at her, making her uncomfortably fidget. Then he nodded, giving them a tight smile. "Slán go fóill, Eileanóra," he finally said before making his way across the porch.

"He said bye for now," Liam explained, squeezing her hand. "I guess that means he likes you."

Eleanor raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

"I think so," he said. "Even if you're not Irish. Though my mum's not even Irish so..." He trailed off and she gave him a small smile, struggling to hide her yawn. "Tired?" Of course he noticed anyway. "Let me show you where you're going to sleep."

-x-

She was put into Sean's old room, completely emptied except for a bed and a small table. Eleanor had tried to make herself comfortable under the comforters, but she was still shivering and wide-awake after three hours of dark silence.

Finally, she pulled back the sheets and blankets and placed her feet on the warm carpet. After collecting herself, she pulled herself out of the bed and softly padded to the door. The hallway was dark with no moonlight to illuminate her way and she took her time to find his door feeling along the walls with the palms of her hands. The stairs creaked and groaned as she made her way up and with every sound, she winced until the floor leveled out and Eleanor could see his bed in the corner.

"Liam?" she whispered, though she didn't expect him to answer at that distance. It was only a couple steps and then she was standing next to the bed, shivering violently. "Liam?" she tried again, her voice cutting through the dead silence. She then reached out and lightly shook the sleeping form.

"Eleanor?"

"I-" she faltered, and then forced out, "I can't sleep."

She just wished she could _see_ him; she could faintly see an outline, but that was it. She blinked, noticing the outline moving.

"Come here."

Eleanor waited as her eyes adjusted and then saw he was lying on his side, holding up the blanket to let her sleep next to him. She didn't hesitate any further; immediately, she crawled in, letting his arms envelop her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, muttering a sleepy "thanks" with an audible smile.

She was about to ask what for, but he was too warm and too comfortable with his fingers lightly dancing on her skin and she was too tired to stay awake. Instead, she let herself relax, snuggling in and letting sleep overcome her.

-x-

It was always the same: Eleanor always woke up before Liam. She thought that, just once, she'd be the one stirring awake after him after only getting a couple hours of sleep. And yet, when she finally opened her eyes, greeting the bright daylight, his arms were still around her waist and she could hear his even breathing next to her ear. Sighing softly, she waited a few moments, closing her eyes to listen. She almost fell back asleep but caught herself, squirming out of his embrace before she was lulled back to a dream. Liam didn't even notice, his eyelids only fluttering slightly, but never opening.

Eleanor sighed, running a hand through her tangled locks. She needed to leave before Liam's family noticed the empty bedroom downstairs. Judging by the position of the sun, it was still early in the morning, so she quickly tiptoed down the stairs, peering out of the door before pushing it open.

"Good morning."

Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the woman standing to the side of the door. Liam's mother. Her mouth was set in a hard line and Eleanor didn't know what the woman was going to say.

"Do you want to help me make breakfast?"

It was a simple sentence, but the way she said it made Eleanor bite down on her lip. Even though Eleanor knew that making breakfast would include much more than preparing food, she still nodded and began to follow Liam's mother down to the kitchen. Silence pressed down on them the entire way down; it was only a minute at most, but Eleanor already felt as though she was suffocating.

What if Mrs. Pritchard didn't want Eleanor to see her son again? What if she was disappointed in her? Eleanor _hated_ people being disappointed in her.

As soon as they walked into the kitchen, Mrs. Pritchard started gathering items from the refrigerator without a sound. Eleanor swayed on her feet, trying to calm her nerves as she waited for some instruction.

"So," the older woman then said, cracking an egg on the side of the bowl. "I know your parents probably gave you the talk, but I haven't talked to Liam yet and I just want to be sure you two are being safe."

"Safe?" Eleanor repeated, the word barely more than a whisper.

"I know you're not...children anymore and it's completely fine-" Her voice wavered and then she shook her head. "I know you don't want a child at your age and Liam-"

"We're not-" Eleanor cut her off, eyes widening at the topic. "We haven't-"

It probably looked really bad from Charlotte Pritchard's eyes: Eleanor coming down from Liam's bedroom in the early hours of the morning, messy hair and all. "I promise you," Eleanor added, looking straight at the older woman. "We haven't talked about it yet, but I know that when it does happen, we'll be especially careful. There are contraceptive spells with extremely low failure rates. We're safe people in every other aspect, I'm sure we will be intimately too."

Liam's mother blinked rapidly and then began mixing her eggs. "Thank you for your honestly, Eleanor."

Loud, booming steps startled Eleanor and she turned around, half-expecting Liam even though he wasn't one to make that much noise.

"Hullo, Eleanor Bennett," Conner greeted her instead, reaching across her to grab a piece of bread. "Awake early, aren't you?"

"Be nice to the guests, Conner Adam," Mrs. Pritchard proclaimed.

Conner only threw Eleanor a smirk, shoving the entire piece of bread in his mouth. "Liam's always a late sleeper," he said through a mouthful of food.

Eleanor stopped herself from commenting that she already knew and instead said, "Oh?"

He leaned forward, both elbows on the counter, and nodded. "He's probably awake though. I run down the stairs like that just to annoy him."

Conner was right: a minute later, a yawning Liam with bedhead came stumbling down the steps, eyes half-closed. "Why do you make so much noise?" he asked Conner, whining slightly. He immediately fell against the counter, burying his head in his arms.

"Liam, _guests_."

He jolted back upright, focusing on Eleanor across from him. "What-" He looked to his mother and then his brother. "What are you doing down here?"

Eleanor smiled. "Helping your mum with breakfast," she replied.

Liam blinked, looking to his mother for confirmation. "I'm sharing the secret Pritchard omelette recipe, so _leave_."

His eyebrows were raised in surprise. "Really?"

Mrs. Pritchard chuckled. "Conner, go bother Liam in the den."

Conner took the invitation without hesitation, pulling on his brother's shirt to drag him away. Eleanor didn't miss the look of desperation on Liam's face and, even though he knew she was supposed to feel bad for him, chuckled softly, exchanging an amused glance with his mother.

* * *

Oh, hello. How are you? I am okay, thanks for asking.

So, here's a chapter after about two weeks. I've been sort of writing lately. It's been better, so I might update more frequently.

Thank you so much for reading. Sometimes, I wonder why you're all reading a story with two original characters and barely any connection to HP characters. (Though, I promise that some Marauders make another appearance...)


	42. Windy Birthday

The wind blew, rattling leaves from trees and knocking over umbrellas and chairs. Liam watched from his seat outside of Florean Flortscue's, holding down the table with both of his hands, even though there was probably an easy spell that could do it for him. It was especially windy, the air holding a sudden, surprising chill, but Liam couldn't be bothered to find refuge inside the shop. His mind was elsewhere, for today, August 11th, 1983, was Eleanor's coming-of-age birthday.

Since Sean's wedding, they met once in July, and even then it was just a few short hours before she had to leave. Liam tried everything, even offering to go and meet Eleanor at her house, but the look on her face made him quickly change his mind.

They would wait to deal with her mother.

So, instead of going to her house, he was waiting for her outside of the icecream shop. It was the perfect meeting place, as it wasn't as busy as usual. When Eleanor arrived, they wouldn't have to be bothered with a crowd.

_If _she arrived, he corrected himself because, checking the time, he realized he had been waiting so long Eleanor was actually _late. _

Eleanor Bennett – _late_.

Liam tapped his watch, almost certain it skipped ahead a quarter of an hour. However, he knew how long he had been waiting; it was definitely after noon and Eleanor wasn't anywhere in sight.

With a sigh, Liam closed his eyes and leaned back to feel the wind on his face. His entire summer was spent indoors, trying to avoid the heat, which also made him an easy target for Conner. Sean and Lindsay had their own house, so Liam didn't have to deal with Sean, but that also meant Lindsay wasn't around to stop his brothers from torturing him.

One day, Liam would move out. Preferably to London where he could see Eleanor whenever he liked; there would be none of this distance after Hogwarts.

"Sorry I'm late," he then heard a familiar voice exclaim, slightly out of breath.

His eyes immediately snapped open. "A whole six minutes?" he replied, before turning his gaze on her. "What did you do with Eleanor Bennett?"

"Hey, it's my birthday!" There was mock hurt in her voice, almost convincing. "You're supposed to be nice to me."

He laughed, moving to sit upright. Eleanor was standing in front of him, hair pulled back into a high ponytail (probably the first time he had ever seen her hair up in public) and hands on her hips. Her cheeks were flushed (probably because she was running late) and she was frowning deeply, even though he could see the amused wrinkles in the corner of her eyelids.

"17-year-old Eleanor Bennett isn't any more special than 16-year-old Eleanor, sorry," he told her seriously, extremely amused when she pursed her lips and leaned forward.

"17-year-old Eleanor Bennett does not like you, _sorry_," she said in the same tone.

Liam rolled his eyes, moving to stand up. "I was going to buy her icecream, but if she doesn't like me anymore-"

"I have my own money."

"_Free icecream_," he emphasized.

"You want to buy icecream on the coldest day of the summer?"

"It's icecream and it's _free_."

"I think we have established that."

"It can be any kind you want – the new Bertie Bott's flavor even. A whole big cup of it and-"

Liam could tell she was fighting back a smile. "That doesn't really sound appetizing-"

"Appetizing? All icecream is appetizing!" he argued, trying his best to keep a straight face. She never took her hands off of her hips, but he knew the glare she was giving him was fake.

"Appealing then."

"What's more appealing than getting icecream with me – best friend forever, grá mo chroí, anamchara-"

Eleanor chuckled and he couldn't help it. The sound made him break into a grin. "Come on," she gave in, grabbing Liam's hand.

Instead of staying inside the shop, they decided to walk around Diagon Alley. Liam took his time eating his blueberry cheesecake icecream, taking small bites and trying to ignore the way he was shivering.

"Have you heard from Suzanne or Jared?" Eleanor asked, stopping outside of Flourish and Blotts to look inside the window. Liam stood next to her, peering inside to see Tales of Beedle the Bard in the front display.

"Suzanne's family went to Australia this year. I think they went..." He tried to remember, but the name of the city escaped him, "-somewhere in the outback. She said the heat was too much."

Eleanor nodded. "I heard. I didn't know if she was still there visiting."

"Jared's visiting his grandparents," Liam added. "He's bored out of his mind there, sending me letters almost everyday."

"Doesn't his family live off a lake? You'd think that'd be fun."

Liam shrugged. "He hates it. He mentioned something wanting to sneak off the city."

Suddenly, a strong wind blew and Eleanor's spoon fell out of her cup, clattering to the ground. "Oh, this wind is such a nuisance."

Liam immediately conjured another spoon and she took it with a grateful smile. Around them, everyone in Diagon Alley cursed the strange wind, bracing their belongings from blowing away. Liam looked down at his icecream to see it tilting dangerously and he saw Eleanor flinch, bracing her hands around hers.

"This wind is absolutely frustrating," she muttered, her lips forming a disappointed frown. Liam watched as she twirled her spoon, playing with the icecream in the cup.

This wasn't how he planned this day to go. She was supposed to be smiling, he was supposed to make her smile, they were supposed to be having such a good time that it would be remembered as the best day of summer break.

Reaching over, Liam grabbed her icecream out of her hands and completely ignored her look of surprise. "Let's go." Dumping both of their treats into the trashcan, he made his way across the street.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, running after him.

The bell rang when he opened the door to the junk shop, capturing the attention of the wizard standing behind the counter. Liam felt Eleanor stop behind him but instead of moving into the store, he felt her hand clasp onto his, tugging slightly.

"I'd like that kite in the window."

-x-

"A kite?"

He fumbled with the battered, fraying fabric, pulling out a couple loose threads. "It's windy and we're going to use it to our benefit," he told her with a grin. She was lagging behind, struggling to keep walking up the grassy hill.

Unraveling the string, he stopped, turning to the out of breath girl. "You okay?"

She tried to give him a smile but it was forced. Showing her hand, she managed to say, "The ring says I'm stressed."

"I promise, this will be fun. There's even a song about flying kites. It has to be."

Eleanor gave him a look, but took the string anyway. "And you just...let it go?"

"Let it go," he repeated, dropping the kite. Instead of falling to the ground, it hit the wind, and went up into the sky. Eleanor held onto the string tightly, probably afraid of losing the kite into the wind.

"Have fun," Liam laughed, meeting her worried gaze.

"I'll lose it!"

"Come on." He pulled on her hand, forcing her to take a few steps forward.

She immediately stumbled, shaking her head. "No, I can't."

Liam laced his fingers in between hers and smiled. "Get ready to run." Without another warning, he then took off running. Eleanor ran with him, watching the kite fly behind them. She was shouting something, but he couldn't hear anything over the wind.

The next time he looked back, she was laughing. He slowed and she stopped next to him, doubled over from laughter.

"You're crazy," she said, looking up at him.

He paused and then asked, "Is that a good thing?"

Eleanor laughed at the familiar conversation, responding with "very" before looking back up at the kite. Liam followed her gaze and they watched the flying kite for a few seconds as it flapped in the wind.

"I love seeing you smile."

She turned to look at him with an amused expression. "As opposed to me frowning?"

He laughed. "Having a good birthday then?"

"Well, it's not the worst birthday ever." The smile on her face gave her indifference away. She handed over the kite and he took it, winding it back in. "But you owe me another icecream." He raised his eyebrows at her. "What? It was _free _icecream and you just threw it away. How could you do that to free icecream?"

He smiled, grabbing the kite in his hands. "How about something better?" She tilted her head at him and he continued, "You know how my mum told me that girls liked jewelry all those Christmases ago? And I got you that really awful friendship bracelet?"

"Hey," Eleanor interrupted. "I really liked that bracelet."

He laughed. "Thanks, but I thought I'd actually get you something a little bit better this time." Pulling out the small, wrapped box from his pocket, he placed it in her outstretched hand.

She took her time opening it – like always – peeling back the sides of the wrapping paper before she finally got to the box. It was reminiscent of the mood ring box and, this time, she carefully undid the flap the right way, pulling the top cover off.

Liam waited with baited breath and she picked up the bracelet, looking at him before inspecting it. "I was going to get a charm bracelet," he began to explain, "but this one has a lock and key detail and I thought it was clever, so I hope you like it because I'm rubbish at picking out jewelery and the only reason I found this one was because Lindsay went with me-"

"_Liam_." He blinked, staring back at her. With a soft smile, she held out her wrist. "Do you-"

She didn't have to finish her sentence. He immediately took the small bracelet, fumbling slightly with the clasp before finally fastening it around her wrist. Her hand then caught onto his arm and she pulled him in.

"Best birthday ever," she exclaimed.

He flashed her a sudden smile. "Good," he breathed, unable to find anything else to say.

Then her smile changed and she was grinning at him. "And you'll have to top it next year."

He couldn't wait.

* * *

I know it's been awhile since I updated. It will probably be awhile before I update again. But I promise, I will finish this story. I am working on it when I can. There's still much of this story left.

Thanks for reading as always! You are all wonderful.


	43. London Spying

"The fountain one!"

"Yeah, the one with the three witches!"

Knowing the exact page, Eleanor opened the book to "The Fountain of Fair Fortune." Peering over the large volume, Eleanor watched as the two young girls sitting in front of her giggled excitedly, squirming in their seats.

About a year ago, Eleanor had stopped to peer in the window of Obscurus Books in Diagon Alley. When she realized the shop was almost empty, she quickly made it her new haven; it was much quieter than Flourish and Blotts, quaintly nestled in the back of the alley with a windowsill to sit and read without any interruptions. It didn't take very long before the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop, began to greet Eleanor every time she walked through the door and along with the owners came their two young children: Stella and Abigail.

It was in the middle of July when the girls visited the store, and, even though Eleanor was wary of children, the girls immediately latched themselves onto her. Eleanor was a bit awkward around them, but that didn't stop the girls from following her around. Then Eleanor learned that the two girls loved books and everything changed.

"The Fountain of Fair Fortune," Eleanor recited and the girls leaned forward. "High on a hill in an enchanted garden, enclosed by tall walls and protected by strong magic, flowed the Fountain of Fair Fortune-"

"Girls!"

Eleanor stopped, placing her thumb on the sentence as Mrs. Bishop's voice came from the back of the store. Glancing back toward the window, Eleanor saw the sun was setting; they were probably getting ready to leave and close the shop.

"No, no, you have to finish it!" Stella cried when Eleanor moved to place the ribbon in the book.

"No, no, she doesn't." Mrs. Bishop appeared from behind the girls, grabbing Abigail who squealed. "Besides, Eleanor has to go home and get ready to go to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"I wanna go with her!" Abigail exclaimed, twisting to get out of her mother's grasp. As soon as she was set down, Abigail immediately grabbed Eleanor's hand. "I wanna!"

"You'll get to go one day," her mother told her, pulling Abigail away again. Eleanor smiled as both girls pouted, both spouting "that's too long" and "no, now" over and over as they ran toward the front of the store.

Placing ___Tales of Beedle the Bard_ back on the stand, Eleanor followed them through the bookshelves, hesitating in front of the familiar small stand in the corner. It was still hard to believe that the Bishops had this display, right before the romance novels: ___Laurel Hills by Ivy Bennett._ The large title was visible from across the shop, immediately grabbing the attention of anyone who walked by. The Bishops said the novel was selling quite famously, but Eleanor was sure it was only on display because of her.

"You know, seventh year was great." Eleanor turned toward the sound of the voice and saw Mr. Bishop taking out books from the back of the store. He grinned at her before adding, "Phoebe was Head Girl and we met as she tried to dock points from me. She really must hated Gryffindor house, going after me at every single opportunity. Though we did win the cup that year-"

"I only docked points because you wouldn't adhere to the curfew!" Mrs. Bishop shouted, all the way across the store. Eleanor and Mr. Bishop chuckled.

"Phoebe loved being Head Girl," he exclaimed, after pausing to make sure Mrs. Bishop wasn't going to come after them. "A lot of responsibility, though I suppose people like that type of power."

Eleanor nodded and then said, "I was actually relieved when I opened my letter and there was no badge. I was worried that I was going to get it for weeks; there was no way I could have handled the duties of being Head Girl."

All summer, Eleanor's parents had insisted she would be appointed Head Girl. They anticipated her letter while, every day, she _dreaded _it. And Liam wasn't much help: he only wrote to her about the fantastic job she did as a Prefect. She didn't want to hear about how much of a candidate she was for Head Girl. It was an absolute relief when she picked up her letter and found it was too light to hold a badge.

"I think you would have made a brilliant Head Girl," Mrs. Bishop told Eleanor, holding onto Stella and Abigail who were squirming and trying to get out of her grip. "It's actually quite rewarding."

Giving her a small smile, Eleanor began to explain, "I didn't want anything else to distract me from my studies-"

And Liam, of course.

It was quite awful: worrying about the time she'd have to spend with her boyfriend. She wasn't supposed to worry about things like that. She was supposed to be level-headed and put schoolwork above everything. But she was beginning to think that Liam was her top priority. Even on the same level with schoolwork.

Her parents would _kill _her if they knew and Eleanor completely understood why. She was Eleanor Bennett: a studious Ravenclaw who cared about her education. She wasn't Eleanor Bennett: a teenager with a boyfriend. But she couldn't help it; it was Liam and he was simply important.

"When you return, I expect to hear about your wonderful N.E.W.T. scores," Mr. Bishop joked, smiling broadly at her.

Eleanor almost grimaced, but managed to smile back. N.E.W.T.S. were less than a year away and she knew she was going to spend most of her time studying. She really didn't mind the studying aspect, but having no time for anything else was going to be a problem.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

She had barely taken a step when she glanced toward the window and saw someone hurrying down the street. Eleanor didn't even try to hide her surprised look and, judging by the way the Bishops began whispering to each other, they noticed. "Thank you," she repeated, trying to avoid the looks on their faces. "I'm – sorry, I have to go." Quickly saying goodbye to Stella and Abigail, Eleanor made her way out of the shop.

It had to be him. She only saw him for a second, but she couldn't mistake the hair, the height, the way he walked. If she knew the way he walked, then she definitely could tell if it was him or not.

But what was Liam doing in London the day before term? He wasn't supposed to be here until tomorrow; he had told her that a couple weeks ago on her birthday. He wouldn't lie to her about anything like that.

Keeping her distance, she watched as he made his way through the crowd, his head the only visible body part over everyone. Eleanor kept her eyes on him, stepping back a few more steps so he wouldn't see her. She debated calling out to him and letting him know she was there, but she refrained. Maybe he didn't want her to know where he was going.

Still, she remained quiet. He always liked to play those games with her – ninja and spy games – and now she was going to try and solve this mystery herself.

The crowd died down as soon as they got out of downtown London. Eleanor ducked behind a tree, watching as Liam walked toward the setting sun. She quickly ran through everything west of their location; there were shops, restaurants, and other public places. It was possible he was going to eat out with an uncle or other family member.

But when Liam turned the corner, Eleanor noticed the bag in his hands. Takeout food. He was bringing food somewhere, possibly to someone, although Eleanor couldn't come up with a single person (other than herself) Liam knew in London. After rounding the corner up the block, Eleanor saw Liam turn into an intersection and crossed to the double oak doors of a building. She immediately halted, glancing up at the sign hanging over the entrance.

Hospital.

A hospital. He was going into a _hospital_. The word continued to repeat in her head – _hospital, hospital, hospital – _and she tried to keep breathing. Hospital.

She couldn't walk in there. She vowed she would never to go into one of those white-walled prisons that made her throat close up. Even the thought of entering the building was making her hands tremble. But she couldn't just stand outside; Liam was in there.

Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and clenched and unclenched her fists. All she had to do was take a few steps forward, open the doors and then she'd be there. As every second passed, she was getting farther and father away from Liam. Ignoring the way her feet felt like they were stuck to the ground, she forced them to move. Finally, she grabbed the steel handle of the door and pulled it open.

She was in.

Breathing out in relief, she opened her eyes and glanced around the lobby. The room was large with well-lit with a sky light and lights hanging down with the vaulted ceiling. Except for a receptionist and an older couple sitting in the waiting area on the left wall, there wasn't anyone else in sight.

Biting down on her lip in frustration, Eleanor then let out a long sigh.

"You're awful at spying."

This time, she didn't pause. Before he even finished his sentence, she turned around to meet his gaze. "You knew?" she asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. She couldn't have been that bad at following him.

He laughed at the look on her face. "Yes," Liam confirmed. "Next time, I'll loan you my spy glasses; they're very useful." She let out a sigh at his joking tone. "Now, come on." He turned down the aisle without saying a word to the receptionist, and Eleanor paused, expecting to be thrown out. But when nothing happened, she glanced around and then hurried to follow Liam down the hallway.

"What-" she began to say as they continued walking briskly.

Liam glanced back at her but didn't say anything. She almost grabbed the takeout bag out of his hands to get his attention, but she couldn't catch him.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Someone then shouted, running out in front of Eleanor. She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as she recognized him.

"Here." Liam thrust the bag into the person's hands. "You owe me," he mumbled before turning back toward Eleanor. Liam gave her a soft smile and she raised an eyebrow at him in return.

His whole family was at the hospital. She could see his mother sitting down across the room, her hands folded underneath her chin. His brother, Conner, was already rustling through the bag of takeout. His other brother was probably somewhere around. Why was his whole family in London, at the hospital, the day before term?

"Oh, Eleanor! Hey!" Conner suddenly realized she was standing there. His mouth was filled with his food already and he was mumbling his words.

Eleanor gave him a slight wave. "Hi, Conner."

He tried saying something else, but Eleanor only caught the words "from" and "here" through his mouthfuls of food.

She gave him an awkward smile in return and luckily, Liam noticed her expression. "I have something to show you," he whispered. Pressing slightly on the small of her back, he lead her away from his brother and farther down the hallway.

Before she had the chance to ask another question, they stopped in front of a large window. She gave him a strange look before glancing through window. They were standing in front of the hospital's nursery. Rows of tiny blue and pink blankets filled the room and under the blankets, babies were either squirming in their bassinets or sleeping soundly.

"Second row, five across. See him?" Eleanor scanned the rows and columns, stopping on the little, blue bundle in his bassinet. "Graham Oliver Pritchard." Eleanor watched as the small baby breathed in and out, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. "We came into the city a couple days early because my mum and Conner wanted to see London. Lindsay and Sean went with us because Graham wasn't supposed to be due for another month, but this morning Lindsay went into labor. Sean just panicked; you should have seen him, running around the hospital and hyperventilating."

Eleanor chuckled and Liam smiled at her before turning back toward the window. "I've been running errands for everyone for _hours_. You have no idea how relieved I was when I realized you were following me. Finally, _someone _to talk to that won't start barking orders at me. I really missed you-"

He didn't give her time to respond before he surprised her by leaning down and catching her into a kiss. She didn't have reason to complain though and instead, laughed when he finally pulled away. "So, how are you doing, Uncle Liam?"

Liam hesitated for effect and then said, with a long sigh, "Well, I think I'm doing pretty well."

Even if seventh year was going to test their relationship, Eleanor wasn't worried for once. After all, they had already spent six years at Hogwarts; they just had one more year.

"Okay, quick question." Eleanor was brought back to reality as she and Liam were jostled to the side. Conner squeezed in between them, grinning and throwing his arms over their shoulders. "When should I expect children from you two? And how many are you planning?"

"That's two questions," Liam told him, his jaw set. He was embarrassed, but Eleanor couldn't bring herself to blush. She was already used to the antics of his brothers.

"Just wondering!" Conner grinned at the look on Liam's face, patting him on the head before turning away.

Liam waited, watching with wary eyes as Conner stalked off around the corner. "Sorry," he murmured as soon as his brother was gone, eyes locking onto Eleanor's. "He's a jerk – always trying to ruin everything – it's so _frustrating_-"

"It's fine," Eleanor interrupted him. The awkward topic made her stomach clench uncomfortably and she hastened to say something to distract him. "Um, do you want to get something to eat?"

Even though Liam hesitated for a second, he still gave her a smile. "Yeah, I'm starving."

She was ready for her last year of Hogwarts and furthering her relationship with Liam, but children was one topic that still made her choke. One day there would be time for it, but now, seventh year, N.E.W.T.S. and Liam were the only things on her mind.

* * *

Oh, hey, after a month, I'm finally updating. How are you all? I'm doing pretty well. Actually, a couple days ago, I sang Don't Stop Believing in a karaoke bar. Just because of this story (not really, but hey, let's pretend).

Thanks for reading as always. You all are the best readers and reviewers. Honestly. For that, I'll tell you what the next chapters consist of: snogging, Christmas parties, and Footloose. Sounds fun, right?


	44. Unwanted Interruption

Studying in class, studying in the library, studying in the common room, studying in the corridors while walking to class, studying in the Great Hall, studying in the dormitory...

Liam couldn't even take a breath anymore. Every single aspect of his life was crammed with studying – textbooks and essays and scrolls and quills – and he couldn't remember the last time he did something for fun.

They were only two months into the school year, N.E.W.T.S. were still months and months away and yet, professors were stressing the importance of the exams in every class. Liam was sure none of this stress would consume him until after holiday break, but he was wrong.

Liam also knew that Eleanor would dedicate the entirety of her seventh year to N.E.W.T.S. However, he didn't expect her complete absence from his life. They barely saw each other and when he sought her out in classes, she was too busy to acknowledge him. Frustrated, but not enough to actually say something, Liam decided to wait it out. After all, it was only until June. Only an eight month wait. Only eight months...

However, Liam didn't expect to deal with _this_. He finally came to terms with Eleanor ignoring him but now, after this, she wasn't even _glancing _at him.

She was having a bad day.

It was a complete repeat of the bad day she had in first year. A low score on an essay, a trip down the staircase, ink spilling on her notes...

She went into that silent state again, a brooding mess.

Liam didn't know how to respond to her sudden sullenness. All he knew was that she needed to get away for just a couple hours; if he had to, he was going to drag her away from her essays and textbooks and get her to finally relax. She deserved a break. _He _deserved a break.

But his plans were cut short when she went missing straight after dinner. Liam had asked everyone at the Ravenclaw table and a couple people from other houses, but no one had seen her. So, instead of spending time with her, he was stuck in the library, physically exhausted and mentally drained.

He had even tried studying, just to get his mind off of her, but he couldn't concentrate when Eleanor was probably fuming alone in some alcove or corridor. Pushing himself back from the table, Liam sunk down into his chair, sighing loudly. He wasn't going to get _anything_ done. He couldn't even write his name without his mind wandering back to Eleanor's problems.

He _hated _when she was upset.

Leaning back, he pressed his palms into his eyes and tried to forget everything even just for a second.

Then a sudden weight onto his lap jolted him upright and his eyes to snap open. Liam groaned when he realized he was pinned down by a certain girl straddling him.

"Eleanor, hey, are you okay?" he began to babble, his eyes wide as he searched her face. "You're not still upset, are you? Say something." His hands rested on the sides of her face, completely dismissing the fact that she was sitting in his lap.

She was smiling, Liam noted, which obviously meant that she was doing better. He opened his mouth to ask her another string of questions about her well-being, but she leaned forward, shaking her head at him. He blinked and she whispered a "shh" on his lips, and before he could respond, she closed the gap, pulling him into a kiss.

He was used to this intimacy, but this caught him offguard. He stalled as she furiously moved against him, pulling on his lip with her teeth.

This couldn't be her.

"Elean-" he tried to say, but she pulled away to breathe another impatient "shh" on his lips, so quick he wasn't even sure her lips left his. He could feel her arm move up to rest on his shoulder and her hand on the back of his head, pressing forward as if there wasn't enough contact already between them. Liam couldn't even remember to breathe as she tilted her head the other way, almost colliding with his nose, but she didn't seem to care, not bothering with a sorry as she parted his lips with hers.

He immediately took this separation as a chance to ask what was going on, but there was no time to get a word in; she refused to break away from him. And, he had to admit, the way she was snogging him was making it _really _hard for Liam to even bother with questions.

But what if it _wasn't _Eleanor? What if it was someone taking Polyjuice potion? It couldn't-

Eleanor suddenly made a soft noise in the back of her throat and Liam's attention went back to her. How could his mind be wandering at a time like this?

Moving to sit up, Liam curled his fingers into her hair and tried to match her ferocity by deepening the kiss. She smiled and pulled upward on his shirt.

Definitely not something she'd do, it was not like her, not like her at all...

But, instead of focusing on the negative thoughts, Liam pushed them back; after all, Eleanor was snogging him in a library like her life depended on it and he needed to _enjoy _it a little. Pulling her toward him, she moved forward on his lap, resulting in a groan from both of them. Her hands tugged incessantly, trying to get the shirt free from his trousers. When the fabric finally became loose, Eleanor didn't hesitate before moving her hands up underneath his shirt, making Liam drew in a sharp breath. His mind was reeling and he couldn't breathe and he accidentally pulled back on Eleanor's bottom lip. She jumped, her fingers grazing his side.

"Bad day, Eleanor?" a smooth voice interrupted.

Liam didn't have to look to know who it was. He groaned as Eleanor tried to wrench herself out of his grasp but he kept a hold on her. He wasn't going to let her be embarrassed.

"Looks like a bad day to me," Joseph added.

Liam wanted to be civil to his roommate, but he couldn't stop himself from looking over at Joseph with a glare and a "shut up." Joseph smirked, backing up against the table across from them. As soon as he opened his mouth to say something, Eleanor threw him a glare of her own.

"_Go away_," she hissed, somewhat startling Liam. She was angry – surprisingly angry – at Joseph for interrupting. It was only a matter of time before a student or even Madam Pince would notice the escalating argument. Eleanor must have had the same thought; she immediately moved off of Liam's lap, settling in the chair next to him.

"Oh." Joseph's eyes suddenly grew wide and the smirk stretched across his face. "You don't know about her bad days, do you, Liam?" Eleanor made a choking sound next to him and Liam looked over to see her eyes immediately turn away, a blush staining her cheeks.

Liam was too preoccupied by Eleanor's obvious discomfort to spare Joseph another glance. "What are you talking about?" he asked hastily before going back to asking if she was all right. Eleanor immediately began shaking her head, her face completely red.

"Obviously not," Joseph commented, sounding pleased at the fact. "Well, I don't know if you noticed last year, but Eleanor always disappeared after a day like this – you know, after getting a bad mark or not knowing an answer to a professor's question. You always thought she was fuming or sulking but let me tell you what she really does. Actually, I don't think I have to tell you – you were already in the middle of it when I happened by."

"And?" Liam asked. Why did it matter if Eleanor snogged him to forget her bad day? It wasn't as if she sought out someone other than him.

"You're not the only one who has gotten the special bad day treatment."

"Why are you telling him all this?" Eleanor suddenly snapped, standing up in front of her chair. Liam moved to grab her hand and calm her down, but she moved out of his reach. Liam's gaze turned back to Joseph and it suddenly hit him. "What are you trying to prove? _Why _are you trying to-" Her voice broke and she didn't bother to finish her sentence.

Liam's eyes never strayed Joseph's smirk and he watched him begin to say, "I just thought-"

"You thought _wrong_," Eleanor immediately retorted. "You have no business to gossip about our relationship. You have no business interrupting us. You have no business provoking a response from Liam for your amusement so please, _leave_."  
Joseph's smirk faded as he pushed himself off of the table with such force it scraped against the floor. "Just thought I'd mention your affinity for going around snogging blokes, Eleanor."

The stomping of footsteps echoed throughout the library as Joseph made his way out of their sight. Liam tried to take in an even breath, but there was a suffocating weight on his chest. He knew what it was and he knew it was logical response, but it didn't stop him from cursing silently to himself.

"I-" Eleanor started to say, but Liam was quick to cut her off.

"No," he said, flinching at the sound of his own voice. "Just...don't-" he faltered, not sure what to say. What _could _he say? He knew what the feeling in his chest was – jealousy – and he knew he couldn't do a single thing about it. It was a perfectly normal response. It wasn't Eleanor's fault. It wasn't even his own. It was just this awful, monstrous, jealous part of him.

"He's wrong," she said, shaking her head violently. "I haven't – I don't have an affinity for going around and snogging – I haven't snogged anyone but you recently and I've only kissed three guys ever and I swear, I haven't – I wouldn't-"

But his mind was replaying a scenario of Eleanor snogging Joseph, hidden behind bookshelves in the library, sitting on his lap, no words between them, just physical intimacy. The thought was making him sick.

"Stop thinking about it." She knew exactly what was going through his mind. "Just – I'm with you now and I wanted to be with _you_, not Joseph. Don't let him say anything to you and don't be jealous because that was all in the past. I don't want him, Liam. I love _you_." He blinked, looking over at her, trying to wrap his mind around everything. Everything was going too fast and it was just too much for one day. "Okay, don't say anything," Eleanor exclaimed, throwing her books into her bag and swinging it over her shoulder. "Be mad at me then. Oh, why don't you just break up with me too? Because obviously, I've done something seriously wrong here and I've ruined everything, haven't I? Sorry I snogged Joseph when I was dating him. I'm just an _awful _person-"

Grabbing onto her wrist, Liam brought her gaze to his. She stopped mid-sentence, her mouth open and eyes wide and blazing. "You're overreacting," he said simply. She always over-reacted, thinking of the worst possible outcomes.

"O-of course I am!" She was completely off-set about his calm disposition, but Liam didn't hesitate. He pulled slightly and she turned her body toward him with a loud sigh.

"I'm not mad," he told her softly. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"But-"

"I'm jealous, okay, but not mad. Never mad." He saw the beginnings of a relieved smile on her face and leaned forward to add, "Just forget it all. Your bad day, Joseph, everything. Let's start over, make this day disappear."

She paused, but then said, "That's impossible."

"Believe in the impossible for once, Eleanor. For me, please?"

He watched as she slowly sat back down in her seat, setting her bag on the floor. "Sorry about Joseph," she murmured.

Liam waited until she glanced at him before raising an eyebrow and making a face. "Who?"

Eleanor smiled and swatted him on the arm. "You're awful."

He knew she didn't mean it. Not with that genuine smile on her face.

* * *

I...updated?

Yes, I did! For Nicole's birthday because Nicole is awesome! So, happy birthday Nicole!

And here's my snogging chapter of snogging. It was pretty interesting to write especially since I wrote it at least a year ago before I began this story. Strange, I know, but sometimes I run with my random ideas. Hope you are all doing well and hope all the NaNoWriMo participants are writing!

Thanks for reading!


	45. Winter Break

___You're not studying, are you? It's winter break! The key word being BREAK, so please, just put away those textbooks and go enjoy the snow. Make a snowman! Snow angel! You could probably make an amazing snow fort. Try it!  
I can't wait to see you again, although I'm a bit nervous about meeting your parents again. I don't know if formal attire is preferred, but I'm going to wear a tie just in case. I don't want another reason for your mother to think I'm a bad influence. Knowing my luck, she'll start criticizing the very way I walk, or something as trivial. I'm having nightmares, Eleanor. Save me._

Shaking her head, her lips curving into a smile, Eleanor then went on to read the last few lines.

___ Okay, maybe I'm not having nightmares yet, but now I'll definitely have one tonight after jinxing myself. Anyway, I'll be there Friday at 6.  
Miss you,  
(and happy Christmas!)  
Liam_

Eleanor carefully folded the message back into a tiny square and placed it in her palm as she curled her fingers around it. Downstairs, she could hear the chatter. The party had already started; every single relative from both families was waiting for the doorbell to ring and Eleanor's new (and first, according to them) boyfriend to come waltzing in. Although he was only two minutes late, Eleanor knew they were standing in a line, their eyes on the door and windows.

Fixating her headband, Eleanor took one more look in the mirror. For once, her mother didn't have any say in her Christmas attire. She got to choose a red floral lace sleeveless dress with a trellis pattern, instead of being fully covered in a Christmas concoction of ugly maroon and green velvet.

"At least there's one improvement from last year," Eleanor muttered to herself as she bent down to buckle the strap on her shoes. Taking another long look out of the window, she hesitated for a few moments before sighing and grabbing a jacket.

As soon as Eleanor opened the door, she could hear every word of the conversation downstairs. "He should be here any time," her mother's voice carried up the stairs. Eleanor knew she couldn't wait to see Liam thrown to her relatives.

Aunt Helen jumped into the conversation loudly, her hands probably anxiously twitching with every syllable. "How long have they been together again?"

"Years," her father responded, a shrug probably punctuating the word. He didn't mind the relationship; the slow progression of every next step probably put his mind at ease.

"Years? Shouldn't they be married by now?" one of her uncles spoke up. She couldn't tell which one; they all sounded the same. "Is that what you're hoping for, Robert? My girls all married off young and now there's peace and quiet in the house."

There was a long pause and then a slow sigh. "Sarah wants Eleanor to stay with us for as long as possible."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. Her mother was never going to let her leave the house, especially if Liam was involved.

Quietly stepping down the back staircase, Eleanor made her way out of the kitchen door without anyone noticing. She pulled the hood of her coat over her head, shielding her from the falling snow, and carefully tiptoed her way across the yard.

Suddenly, a pop startled her, and she had to lean against the snow-laden swing to regain her balance.

"Why are we meeting in the garden, all spy-like, dressed in black, hoods up?" she heard Liam ask. Turning around, she saw him standing in the middle of the garden, arms out and feet awkwardly spaced to not step on the wire structures.

Eleanor watched as he maneuvered over the tiny fence and then answered, "My relatives are all watching the front door, waiting for your entrance."

Liam's amused smile quickly dropped into a frown. "Sounds like torture," he deadpanned, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

"Don't give me that look," Eleanor chastised him, hitting his arm with her shoulder as she walked around him. He sighed, pulling his hand out of his pocket to grab her hand. "They haven't seen you in over a year, so it's perfectly reasonable that they'd want to talk to you again."

Liam's shoulders slumped as they walked to the back door, his hand slipping out of Eleanor's grasp. "But it's different with every single relative of yours watching." His hands went to his tie, fumbling with it before saying, "I don't want to be worried that my tie isn't straight, or that my elbows are on the table, or I'm not using the right fork for my salad. Every single thing I do wrong tonight will be another reason why Liam Pritchard isn't good enough for their daughter, niece, granddaughter, cousin..."

Eleanor shook her head, her hand resting on the door handle. "Their opinions don't matter-"

His scoff caught her off guard. "I'm sorry, but have you forgotten the last time I was here?"

"It's different now, Liam." She bit down on her lip and then continued, "You don't have to impress them. You impressed my dad the last time, and my mum, well, it's a slow process. She knows nobody's perfect and you'll win her over in the end, I promise-" The skeptical look thrown in her direction made her pause and her hand to drop from the handle. "You really don't want to do this, do you?"

Eleanor felt almost guilty she was putting him through this, even if it was only her family and he would have to deal with them sooner or later. But he looked so nervous, standing there awkwardly in his suit jacket, pressed shirt, and tie.

"I know I have to do this," Liam said, looking determinedly down at the snow. "I just wish it was...a gradual integration instead of a full-on attack."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "You think my family is going to _attack_?"

"Do you really think it's that crazy of a fear?"

She glanced at him for a long second; the way he was cracking his knuckles, twisting his hands, his determined gaze, the frantic breaths.

Stepping forward, Eleanor grabbed Liam's hand with a grin. "Come on."

He stumbled as he tried to pull him away from the door. "W-where are we going?" he stuttered as she succeeded in pulling him in a few meters.

"Out," Eleanor answered vaguely, turning around to see Liam wordlessly gesturing toward the back door.

"But...we have the party," he managed to say, but he didn't try to pry himself from Eleanor's grasp. It didn't take much effort to make him follow her out onto the road.

"Come _on_, Liam." It was a simple coax, and it worked. He was walking alongside her without hesitation and it was only when Eleanor looked at him, she realized he was nervous, his eyes shifting back to her house.

"Your parents are going to hate me," he finally said, his voice strained.

Eleanor laughed, leaning into him. "They will not."

He scoffed again. "Kidnapping their daughter on the night of their Christmas party, Eleanor? You're right. They'll kill me."

She looked at him, noticing the way his lips pursed together. "You're going to have an anxiety attack."

"It may be too late for that." He turned his gaze on her, his eyes wide and eyebrows raised. "Just imagine the material they'll get out of this. _Liam took you from your family. He doesn't like Christmas. He wants to kidnap you from your family forever. He took you out to get drugs two days before Christmas_."

Rolling her eyes at his rant, Eleanor squeezed Liam's hand and said, slowly, "I just want to spend time with you. Alone. Is that so bad?" He didn't answer so she added, "Please, stop stressing out for two seconds and laugh and smile and be your awkward, adorable self."

He chuckled softly, almost sarcastically, and Eleanor laughed, pulling on his hand again. "Where do you want to go?"  
"This was your idea," he remarked and she laughed again.

"Well, it's freezing out here. Coffee sound good?" He nodded mutely and she turned into the nearest coffeeshop. Shaking the snow from her jacket and brushing off her shoes, Eleanor looked around and noticed it was completely empty except for the employees.

"It looks like we have a _grand _selection of tables at our choosing," Liam commented. Eleanor looked at him, eyes narrowed, trying not to smile and then, shaking her head, led him over to the front window.

Reaching into her pocket, Eleanor brought the wrapped box into her lap and, after giving Liam a reassuring smile, took off her coat. She thought her new dress would distract him, but his eyes suddenly narrowed and he placed his hand on the table to prop up his chin.

"Why are you smiling like that?" he asked without a beat.

She tried to keep a straight face, but managed to break it with another smile. "I got you something," she finally caved.

"You brought my present?" He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Did you plan for us to leave the party the whole time?"

Eleanor just smiled, pushing the box across the table. "Happy Christmas," she finally said as Liam eyed the present. Instead of moving to open it, he reached into his own coat pocket, pulling out a smaller wrapped box.

"Well, since you went ahead and planned our escape and gift exchange..."

Eleanor bit down on her lip, slowly undoing the bow on the top of the present. It was clumsily wrapped and it took Eleanor a few minutes to finally figure out how to open it.

"Oh, wow," she heard Liam say. He was holding up his present, reading every side of the box with his eyebrows furrowed.

"It's a CD player. Have you-" She noted the blank look on Liam's face and elaborated, "They came out last year. It's a new way to play your music. Instead of using a record, it uses compact discs. It won't work at Hogwarts because it's electronic, but we only have a few more months there, so I thought you'd like it."

"It's amazing," Liam said in awe, his eyes meeting hers. "_You're _amazing."

Eleanor smiled, finally able to pull the wrapping paper off of her present. She could feel Liam's eyes on her as she lifted the lid.

"It's not just jewelry," Liam exclaimed. In the box, there was a necklace with a clear pendant, a matching pair of earrings, and a bracelet that was a simple silver band. "There's a simple charm on them. They change into a pair of mittens, a scarf, and a hat when you go outdoors. I was just thinking that it would be useful when you go inside on a cold day and then you start over-heating because of everything you're wearing. I hope I didn't mess up the charm – I had to perform it myself after I couldn't find you the perfect Christmas present. Everything was either too plain or too elaborate or too...not you. Well, anyway-" He finally took in a breath. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." She paused, leaning over the table. "I love _you_."

His lips turned upward before he moved forward and caught her in a kiss. She could feel his fingers threading their way through her hair, pulling her closer. She laughed as he pulled away for a second and then came back again, lightly pecking on her the cheek before moving back in his chair.

"Carolers," Eleanor said, slightly still dazed.

Liam tilted his head in confusion just as the bell on the door jingled and the singing Eleanor heard grew louder.

"Carolers," he repeated with a grin, turning toward the group.

Eleanor smiled, leaning back in her chair. There were about fifteen people with sheet music in their hands, singing a medley of Christmas carols. Even though Eleanor and Liam were the only ones in the shop, the carolers didn't seem to mind. They smiled at the couple, enjoying the audience of two.

After watching the carolers for a few minutes, Eleanor couldn't shake off a sudden feeling of dread. "We should get back to the party," Eleanor whispered to Liam.

He looked back at her and then nodded. "Yeah, of course."

But, as soon as they moved to stand up, the group of carolers surrounded them around the table. The song immediately changed and the men and women split into two separate parts.

_ "____I really can't stay."_

___ "But baby, it's cold outside."_

___ "I've got to go way-"_

___ "But baby, it's cold outside."_

"Sorry-" Liam tried to say, but the carolers wouldn't stop singing. "We just have to go back to a...party." He struggled to make his way out of the group, but there was no way around them.

_ "____I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice."_

One of the carolers reached out, grabbing Liam's hand and placing it over Eleanor's. Eleanor couldn't help but laugh at the carolers' obvious plan as Liam looked absolutely lost, eyes wide as he looked for a plan to escape.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go," he tried again.

_ "____What's the sense of hurting my pride?"_

Eleanor laughed. "Do you really want to hurt their pride, Liam?"

"We have to get back to the party," he said, loud and frantic for the carolers to hear.

_ "____This welcome has been-"_

___ "Been hoping that you'd drop in."_

___ "So nice and warm."_

___ "Look out the window at that storm."_

"It's barely snowing," Liam commented, gesturing toward the window.

The carolers continued singing,_ "____My sister will be suspicious."_

___ "God, your lips look delicious."_

___ "My brother will be there at the door."_

___ "Waves upon a tropical storm."_

___ "My maiden aunt's mind is vicious."_

Suddenly, they stopped, their eyes fixated on Eleanor and Liam as if waiting for them to do something.

"Is the song over then?" Liam asked, but when he took a step forward, the group didn't move. Instead, they all burst into the same secretive smile. "For carolers, you are a...strange bunch."

"Liam."

"I'm pretty sure there's more people outside. You can have a bigger audience out in the streets."

"Liam."

"Do you want my opinion, maybe? I think you sound great."

"Liam."

"And I think more people should enjoy your beautiful voices."

"_Liam_!"

"What?" He turned toward Eleanor and, before he knew what was happening, her lips were on his.

It was immediate; the carolers immediately burst into the next line: ___"Ooh, your lips are delicious."_

"They're annoying," Liam murmured against her lips.

"It's the Christmas spirit," she replied before grabbing the lapels on his coat and pulling him closer. "Enjoy it."

"I'll try."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead, caught him in another kiss.

* * *

A Christmas chapter during the Christmas season. I didn't actually plan for this chapter to be posted at this time. I wrote it during the summer and then, just a couple days, I scrapped the entire holiday party chapter and rewrote it. I'm used to writing on Christmas eve (since I've done it for the past three years).

Hope you all have a great holiday season!

I miss writing all the time. I might start writing more often.

Thanks so much for reading! You're all amazing.


	46. The Date

Liam glanced out of the window, watching the snow-laden hills roll by in a blur of white. Although he could feel her gaze on him, he kept his gaze on the scenery, a smile threatening to break his disinterested expression.

She fidgeted, her foot colliding with his leg, but he refused to look at her. Then it was a loud sigh, and he could hear her click her tongue, ready to say something.

"Trust me, will you?" Liam cut her off, eyes finally meeting hers.

She was leaning forward, hands underneath her chin as if she was waiting for Liam to tell her all of his secrets. "I trust you," she said slowly, probably gauging his reaction. He tried his best to keep his expression stoic. "I just want to _know_."

"We..." Liam paused for effect, watching as Eleanor's eyes grew wide and her lips pursed, as if to make sure a sudden breath wouldn't disrupt his proclamation, "-are going on a date."

Eleanor finally let out a loud breath and then she blinked a couple times before asking, "What?"

"You know, those things that couples go on-"

"I know _what _a date is. I just – I'm just – confused..." She paused, shaking her head. "Why now?"

"It's Easter break. You've been concentrating on studying for your exams every spare minute, and now that we have a week off, I want to take advantage of it and take you out for real." He saw her frown and quickly added, "No, really, I know you're going to tell me it's perfectly okay we don't go out, but I want to do this for you." He watched as she slowly sat back in her seat, arms crossed in front of her. He waited a few moments and then chuckled. "Okay, okay, ask away."

Liam expected her to bolt back upright, ready with a plethora of questions, but she only made a disapproving noise.

"Really?" He snorted. "You're angry because I'm keeping our date secret? I suppose studying all week during break would have been more beneficial, right?" Her eyes were narrowed at him, but he only smiled and added, "You always choose your studies over me, I understand."

"Oh, really Liam?"

"All that time with books," he exclaimed with a frustrated sigh. "You spend more time in the library than you do with me. What am I supposed to think?" He added a theatrical sniff at the end and Eleanor sighed.

"Fine, fine." She leaned forward, throwing her hands in the air for effect. "Where are we going? Where are we going to stay? When did you plan this?"

He chuckled at her version of enthusiasm and answered, "Somewhere, a place, and awhile ago." She gave him a skeptical look in return, but he didn't elaborate. He wanted her to be surprised.

"I hate you," Eleanor murmured and before Liam could say anything, she cut in with, "Yeah, I know. _Graim thu_. You can't live without me. Some other random Irish saying."

"You forgot_ tá tú go h-álainn_." He grinned when she rolled her eyes at the familiar phrase and then made a show out of checking the time. "Looks like we'll make it right on time," he exclaimed, turning the grin back on her.

"For?"

He ignored Eleanor's question and instead, grabbed her hand to lead her out of the compartment. She resisted slightly and tried to get him to tell her something before they left, but he wasn't going to say a word. Despite her protests, he didn't give her a single hint. Instead, he shrunk their trunks and placed them in his coat pocket.

The train slowly made its way to a stop and, as soon as the doors opened, Liam was sprinting out into the station, practically dragging Eleanor behind him.

Nightfall was nearing and the sky was turning a dusty purple color as they made their way out of the station. Although he knew Eleanor was going crazy waiting for answers, he didn't pause to tell her his plans. Liam didn't even turn around to face her until they stopped in front of their destination: a large building in the middle of the city.

"The cinema?" Eleanor let go of his hand to face him, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips.

Liam shrugged, biting down on his lip to disguise his smile. "I hear there's this new movie out. I think it's named Footloose or something."

Her mouth dropped open and he couldn't help it; a full smile appeared on his face.

"You are willingly going to watch a movie musical with dancing and singing just because you know I love movies like Grease and Fame?"

He nodded. "You _do _want to see Footloose, right?"

"Of _course_," she emphasized, looking at him as if he was crazy for asking. "I just – this is – how did you even think of this?" Grabbing onto his arm, she practically pulled him across the street, a new eagerness in her step.

"You know how much I love Journey and I know how much you love musicals. I figured you'd like to see the new movie musical in theaters."

"I've been _dying _to see this movie," Eleanor exclaimed, stepping onto the curb to peck him on the cheek. "Thank you so much."

He grinned. "Come on." Lacing his fingers with hers, he almost tripped on the curb as they ran inside.

-x-

"And then when he's trying to teach Willard how to dance – the song in that scene was _perfect_. It's definitely a contender for one of my favorite scenes; though the last scene is definitely the best scene in the movie-"

Liam listened to Eleanor rant and rave about the movie, smiling and nodding every so often. She was holding his hand, swinging his arm, pulling and clutching it as she ran in front of him to retell the story.

"You pretty much have the dancing skills of Willard," she teased.

He raised an eyebrow. "Before or after the montage?"

She grinned. "Before."

He sighed, taking a step away from her. "Cruel, that's what you are."

Eleanor swat him on the chest and he laughed, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head.

"So, where are we staying tonight?" Eleanor asked. "Not a hotel, right? You wouldn't spurge on one date. Right, Liam?" She kept repeating and her expression grew worried.

"I have other plans," he replied shortly and Eleanor pulled away from him.

"I'm scared to ask."

He hesitated, wondering exactly how she would react. It wasn't exactly bad news, but what if it was too much for her? "Sean and Lindsay just bought a house a couple blocks from here," he blurted out.

"Oh," Eleanor softly said and then, after an awful pause, shrugged. "That's not bad."

"With a new baby in the house," he elaborated, waiting for her response with a wince.

Eleanor chuckled, stepping back in step next to him. "Why do you look so worried? I can deal with children, Liam. It's not as though I refuse to be around them. And your sister-in-law is really nice-"

"So," he hesitated, "it's okay then?"

"It's more than okay," she insisted.

Despite Eleanor being fine with it, Liam was still weary. He had to keep reminding himself that it was only for one week and, after spending 17 years with Sean, one week was nothing. And yet, when they turned the corner and Liam caught a glimpse of a brick house baring the correct address, he froze.

Almost if one cue, the front door swung open and Liam's older brother dramatically stood in the doorway with his arms outstretched. "Liam! Eleanor!"

Sean's smile was so wide, it wasn't even a smile. It was a creepy leer. Liam winced, squeezing on Eleanor's hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I'll live," Eleanor quickly replied.

"I'm so glad you decided to visit us in our humble abode," Sean exclaimed as they made their way up to the porch, but before Liam could respond, another person interrupted them.

"Sean, you're standing in their way."

With a sigh of relief, Liam watched as his sister-in-law playfully pushed Sean out of the way.

Sean's face lit up and he reached for the baby in Lindsay's arms. "Hey, little man!" Even though it had only been a few months since Liam had last seen Graham, he almost didn't recognize his own nephew. The 7-month old squirmed in his father's hands, his cheeks flushed and eyes watery.

"He's just getting over a cold," Lindsay explained, crouching down to his level with a smile. "Though he's doing so much better, aren't you?" Graham blinked and Lindsay smiled, turning her attention back to Liam and Eleanor. "So, how was the movie?"

"It was wonderful," Eleanor replied as they were ushered inside. "Thank you for letting us stay here."

"Oh, it's not a problem," Sean proclaimed, flashing a smile in Liam's direction. Liam frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Liam, don't give me that look. You know this conversation was coming."

Lindsay took Graham from Sean, bouncing the baby on her hip with an amused expression. "What are you going to do, Sean?"

Sean cracked his knuckles, bending his arms outward. "It's time for the talk."

Liam looked over at Eleanor, whose lips were turned downward in thought. She had no clue what was coming. Liam, on the other hand, knew exactly the horror that would ensue.

"To ensure that no...funny business...will occur under this household, Lindsay and I decided separate sleeping arrangements were needed. Eleanor, you will have the guest bedroom and Liam-" He paused, looking over at his brother with a glint in his eye, "you will get the nice, cozy couch."

Liam's mouth opened, but Sean shook his head. "Oh, no, no, little brother. We cannot have you sleeping in the same bed. There's a young child present and I don't want to subject him to your...escapades."

"He'll be in a different room-"

"Aha!" Sean punched the air, a maniac grin on his face. "You didn't deny it! Wait until I tell mum!"

"Sean," Lindsay said with a warning tone and, although Sean snapped his mouth shut, there was still that smile on his face. Liam glared and took in a slow breath, then bit down on his tongue to stop himself from sarcastically responding. "I'm sure you're exhausted," Lindsay said to Liam with a sympathetic look, and then turned her gaze onto Eleanor. "Let me show you to your room."

Before Lindsay could gesture down the hallway, a sudden cry broke a silence. "I'll just put Graham to bed first," she said. "It'll only take a few minutes. Sean, would you help me?"

Sean, who was watching Liam with unblinking eyes, shook his head. "I've got-"

"_Sean_."

With a groan, Sean reluctantly followed Lindsay down the hallway. Before he turned into the bedroom, he turned and pointed at Liam, mouthing a "I'm still telling mum."

"This was a bad decision," Liam murmured when they heard the door shut. Turning toward Eleanor, he saw she didn't even look remotely frustrated. In fact, there was a small smile playing on her lips.

"It's not," Eleanor said. "Your brother's actually quite funny-"

"Funny?" Liam snorted, rolling his eyes. "You mean awful and cruel."

She paused and then stated, "You've been really defensive today."

"I _have _to be defensive around my brothers," he explained with a sigh. "You know how it is. With them, it's just...I'm the little brother and I'm the one who they're ordered to tease...incessantly. I expect them to throw another insult my way every time we get together. And now, he's making a big deal about you sleeping over-"

"It doesn't matter-"

"It _does_," he proclaimed. "He's doing this solely to annoy me and-"

"And forget about him," Eleanor cut him off. She glanced down the hallway and then back at him. "Tonight, when everyone's asleep, do you want to defy your brother and meet me?"

Liam's eyebrows shot up. "What are you saying?" She couldn't be serious.

"I'm not letting you sleep on that couch," she answered and before she could elaborate and make sense, Sean and Lindsay walked back out into the hallway.

"So, little brother," Sean exclaimed after Lindsay led Eleanor out of the room, "I got you a blanket and a pillow. Is that all you'll be needing?"

His brother's words barely registered and he murmured a "yeah, that works" to appease him.

Eleanor only wanted company. It wasn't like it was something..._else_. They were at his brother's house. She wasn't going to-

"Good night, brother!" Sean sing-songed, grabbing Liam in a bone-crushing hug. "You will be on your best behavior by the way. Mum is just a phone call away."

After wrestling his way out of Sean's grip, Liam scowled, curling up on the end of the couch. "I doubt you'll have to call her," he mumbled into the pillow.

Sean grinned, patting him on the head before turning off the lights.

-x-

He waited at least two hours, staring up at the ceiling and watching the shadows. Every time he tried to leave the couch, he swore he heard movement from the other side of the house. Even though it was probably Eleanor, he was paranoid it was Sean, waiting to catch him.

Finally, Liam pulled himself to a sitting position and untangled his legs from the blanket, throwing them over the side of the couch.

It was quiet.

He expected his brother to come out of the darkness as soon as he took his first step, but nothing happened. Liam hurried down the hallway, trying his hardest to make his footsteps quiet, but every one sounded like a loud crash to his ears.

Knocking softly on the first door, Liam waited, his breath frantic.

"Liam," he heard his name; it was incentive enough to throw open the door, slip inside, and close it behind him in a very ninja move. He fell against the door, closing his eyes and trying to catch his breath. His heart was still beating erratically.

"Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes and he saw Eleanor sitting on the bed, watching him curiously.

"Yeah, yeah," he assured her, taking in a few deep breaths. "I'm okay." She didn't look convinced, so he pushed himself off of the door and began making his way over to the bed. He watched as her eyes followed him, her gaze almost burning. His eyes flickered away from her gaze and he saw her pillow was still untouched. "Can't sleep?"

"I can never sleep in other houses," she admitted, her lips twitching into a smile as he knelt on the end of the bed.

Liam grinned. "Unless I'm with you?"

"Unless you're with me," she agreed with a chuckle.

He leaned forward, placing his hands on the bed to balance himself. "Sean'll kill me if I'm in here with you."

"No, he'll just call your mum."

Liam glowered. "Very funny." She gave him a smile and moved down, laying down on the bed. It only took him three strides to crawl over her. "What are we doing?" he whispered as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

She blinked slowly and Liam found himself staring at her eyelashes and then his gaze traveled downward, stopping at her lips which were slightly parted. If she said anything, he missed it and she didn't have the chance to say anything else, because his lips found hers.

Her hands were on the back of his neck, pressing him against her. It was fast and Liam couldn't breathe, but it didn't matter. He didn't want to breathe if that meant Eleanor wouldn't be there, kissing him as if her life depended on it.

They moved furiously as Eleanor sat up, Liam's hand finding the back of her head, fingers in her hair. He could feel Eleanor's hands shaking against his skin, her lips pressed against his firmly, and the goosebumps on her skin appearing with his every touch. His arm moved to the small of the back to set her back down and they broke apart.

Her hand was touching the side of his face, her fingers lightly brushing his chin before moving down to grasp his arm.

"You're hot," Eleanor gasped.

Liam paused and then managed a choked, "Thank...you?"

"No," Eleanor exclaimed, pushing on his arm to roll him over. "Hot, over-heating. You're burning up." He felt her hand on his forehead.

He tried to take in a regular breath, but he was still panting. "We just – I think there's a _reason _– a reason why."

"Do you feel okay?" Eleanor turned her hand over, checking his temperature with the other side.

"I'm _okay_, Eleanor," he insisted, but she shook her head.

"You need rest if you're coming down with something." She scrambled out of the bed, despite Liam's protests. "I'll – I'll get you some tea. Okay? Stay there."

He blinked and watched as Eleanor opened the door and disappeared from sight. "I'm okay," he murmured, mostly to himself. The tickling sensation in the back of his throat was just because of the heat of the moment. His clouded mind was because of her.

And the sneeze-

It racked his entire body, causing his head to pound and limbs to ache.

But he _wasn't_ sick. He couldn't be.

* * *

This is just part one of the storyline. Part two will come very soon. Perhaps in a couple days.

And yes, I did update pretty quickly! I'm surprised myself. I don't know why, but I'm actually writing again. It's probably because I can't find anything else to do over break.

I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!


	47. Being Sick

Eleanor managed to find a cupboard with tea bags and a mug within a minute of searching in the kitchen. She tried to stay quiet, but with every clank of a spoon or opening of a door, she winced, waiting for someone to find her.

Finally, she had a cup of chamomile tea in her hands and, turning around, she began to make her way through the darkness back to the bedroom.

"Hey!"

The cup tumbled from her grip and she jumped back as it clanged loudly on the floor, tea splashing against her feet. She immediately dropped to her knees, hurrying to clean it up.

"Whoa, easy there." Looking up, she saw Sean staring back at her. "Sorry, I thought you were Liam."

"I'll clean this up right away," Eleanor exclaimed, standing up to look for a rag.

"No, no, it's okay." He was staring at her, an eyebrow raised and a suspicious smile on his face. Eleanor paused, placing the cup back on the counter slowly. "Where's Liam then? He's not on the couch."

"He's sick."

Sean's eyes narrowed, his mouth turning into a frown of disgust. "In the bathroom?"

She knew she would have to tell him sooner or later. "He's in my room." Sean's eyes immediately lit up and he moved suddenly, probably to find the telephone. "It's not what you think," Eleanor tried to explain before he did anything. "I think he's come down with something and I didn't want anyone else to catch it. Enclosing him in a small space will hopefully stop whatever he has from spreading."

"Oh." Sean's smile dropped, and then Eleanor practically saw the idea form in his mind. "I have to go," he told her, sprinting toward the bedroom.

"Don't go in!" Eleanor tried to whisper after him, wondering if she go save Liam before Sean made everything worse. "It could be contagious!"

But Sean didn't listen and Eleanor heard the door creak open. "Little brother!"

Leaving the tea in the kitchen, she quickly followed Sean and found him standing in the middle of the bedroom.

"Sick?" Sean grinned, turning toward Eleanor with a knowing look in his eyes. Liam was sitting on the edge of the bed, a hand on his head. He was looking at Sean through narrowed, red eyes.

"You look awful." Eleanor ignored Sean's comment and knelt in front of Liam, placing her hand back on his forehead.

He squirmed out of her touch and murmured, "I'm _not _sick."

"Not sick, you say?" Sean clapped his hands together like a giddy child. "Then, pray tell, _what _were you doing in here?"

"It's none of your business," Liam snapped.

"You're irritable," Eleanor said, pushing down on his shoulder. "Lie down."

"I'm _not _sick." Liam pushed himself back up, moving out of Eleanor's grip. "I'm fine. I'm in here because Eleanor's my girlfriend and I can see her if I want to. You can't tell me what to do. I'm of age." Eleanor looked over to see a look of disbelief on Sean's face. Then she heard a thump behind her and found Liam curled up into a ball on the side of the bed. "Okay, I'm dying now."

"You have a temperature," Eleanor confirmed as she placed the back of her hand back on his face. "Sean, he's honestly sick and has no clue what he's saying. I think it may be a wizarding illness, but in case it isn't, you might want to leave."

Sean sighed and then took a few steps backward. "Fine. I'll check on you two in the morning." And, without a fight, he left, the door closing with a soft snap behind him.

"He _left_?" Liam mumbled into his pillow and then turned to face her. "Without killing me?"

"I think you scared him off," Eleanor told him honestly. "He didn't expect you to snap at him like that."

"My head hurts. My throat hurts. I'm cold." He groaned, rolling over. "Do you think I'm dying?"

"You're cold?" Eleanor watched as he struggled with the blankets, trying to burrow himself in them. "It might be Sanor's illness." She heard him make a strangled noise. "If it is, your family doesn't have to worry. They can't catch it." Liam mumbled something else, but Eleanor shook her head, ignoring it. "But if it isn't, then we could be putting your family at risk, especially with a little child in the house."

"Eleanor..." she heard him whine and turned her attention back to him. "Where's my tea?"

She smiled softly. "I'll go get it." She moved a trash bin next to the bed. "If you get sick, please use the bin."

"Hurry up?"

His complete dependency on her made Eleanor's smile flicker in empathy, and then she nodded. "Give me two minutes."

As she rounded the corner into the kitchen, she saw Sean cleaning up the tea she dropped earlier.

"Sorry about that," she said as he stood up to put the broken pieces in the sink.

"It's okay," he repeated from earlier, reaching to grab another mug. "I'm guessing he's asking for tea?"

Eleanor nodded and then, after a long pause, said, "I'm pretty sure it's a wizarding illness. I've had it before and it was only a matter of time before Liam got it. I'm not sure where he got it from, probably school this morning, but you're all safe from it."

Sean handed her a mug of tea with a nod. "He must be feeling pretty bad. He couldn't even handle my jokes-"

"Actually, he's always sensitive about your jokes." Sean gave her a dubious look and she continued, "It really hurts him sometimes. He's always defensive around you, waiting for some other joke that'll hurt him."

"You'd think he'd be used to it by now," Sean mused with a sigh. He looked back toward the bedroom, and Eleanor could have sworn she saw a look of understanding in his eyes. After another long sigh, he stretched and said, "But if he really hates it, I'll cut down to just a couple jokes per day." The grin was back on his face as he made his way down the hallway. "Night, Eleanor."

Eyebrows furrowing, Eleanor waited until he disappeared to walk back to the bedroom.

"Liam?"

He was sprawled out underneath the blankets when she walked inside, completely invisible except for his foot dangling off the edge of the bed.

"Liam?" she tried again, placing the tea on the bedside table. "How are you feeling?"

"Sameastwominutesago," the figure under the blankets mumbled.

"Are you comfortable? Do you want another pillow or blanket?" He didn't answer. "Stuffed animal, perhaps? Do you want me to take one from Graham's room?"

"You'renotstealing," he took a breath, "from a child."

She chuckled, kneeling back down next to the bed. "What do you want then?"

"Me...not sick." He sniffed loudly, pulling back the covers to look at her. "You...with me. Being happy. Having fun."

"I'm happy." He narrowed his eyes. "No, really, this is fine. It's not your fault you're sick." He blinked at her, still in doubt and she sighed. "I've got you some medicine, but I don't know if it'll cure everything because it's just simple muggle liquid syrup."

Liam shrugged, falling back against the pillow. Eleanor climbed onto the bed, holding out the bottle and a spoon. He cringed when he saw the thick, red syrup. "Don't be a baby," she chastised him, and then Liam frowned. "Don't make me force you to take it."

His eyes were tired, barely able to focus on her. "I hate medicine."

"Let's compromise then," she agreed, sitting down next to him. "If you take this medicine then..."

"Stay with me." Eleanor watched him struggle to sit up. She opened her mouth to say something, but Liam started rambling, "Stay with me tonight. I don't want to be stuck in here by myself and I don't want to put you on the couch. I want you with me, please, I promise that I'll deal with Sean and Lindsay tomorrow if you'll just stay with me."

She gave him a tiny nod, enough for him to smile despite how he was feeling. "Open up." He complied and grimaced as the medicine was tipped inside his mouth.

"I kind of hope it's Sanor's," Eleanor said as she curled into Liam's side.

He coughed, taking a few seconds to calm down before throwing an arm over Eleanor's side, holding her close as if she was his only source of support. "Why?"

"Then I won't catch what you have."

"Sorry," he murmured.

Although it was entirely too hot, Eleanor ignored her discomfort. "I don't care," she replied.

He murmured something sleepily and although Eleanor didn't hear him clearly, she said, "I love you too" anyway.

* * *

Aha, another update!

Hello faithful readers! It's almost the end of winter break and I might not have time to update, but I just got another idea for this story, so maybe I'll want to write during all of my free time.

Also, I lied when I said this plotline was two parts. The next chapter happens during Easter break too. It's a very strange chapter, but I think..it works...somehow.

Anyway, thanks for reading!


	48. Next Level

"I'm _fine_." He hated the way her head immediately tilted and her eyes narrowed at him. "I _know _you don't believe me, but Eleanor, I feel fine."

After spending five days quarantined to the spare bedroom with only breaks to the bathroom and nowhere else, Liam was ready to get out of the house. He needed to see something other than the yellow walls of the bedroom and the tiny guest bathroom. But Eleanor insisted that Liam was still sick, even though he didn't have a fever, his throat didn't burn, and he felt awake for the first time in days.

Liam blinked at her gaze. That skeptical look was on her face and then her hand was on his forehead, checking his temperature yet again.

"Eleanor," he groaned, reaching up to take her hand. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm ready to get out of here, take you somewhere, do something that doesn't involve you watching me sleep."

She stared at him for a long moment and then finally nodded. "I'm sure your family misses you," she agreed and he grinned, pulling her toward the door.

"Liam!" Sean's unmistakable voice called out as soon as the door creaked open. The smile on Liam's face dropped and he turned to Eleanor, his shoulders slumping.

"Maybe he just wants to see you," Eleanor told him with a comforting smile, but Liam knew better. Sean was just waiting to tease him again.

And Sean didn't waste any time. As soon as Eleanor and Liam turned into the living room, he was ready with a, "long time, no see!" Liam tried to turn around to go back to the bedroom, but Eleanor held him back with a slight pull on his arm. Sean grinned, sitting across from Lindsay and Graham and holding out one of Graham's toy blocks. "I see you're alive."

Liam forced a smile on his face and responded, "We're going to go out today."

Before Sean could reply, Lindsay cut in, "We're glad you're feeling better, Liam." She gave Sean a quick, disapproving look because he was still wearing that smirk on his face. "Where are you going to go?" she continued to keep the subject away from Sean's teasing. "Are you going to that...wizarding plaza?"

"Diagon Alley," Eleanor corrected. "And we'll probably stop by-"

"I want to go sightseeing," Liam exclaimed suddenly. Eleanor turned her gaze on him, eyebrows raised in surprise. "We always go to Diagon Alley," he began to explain. "Let's do something different. We're in London, there's millions of things to do, let's go exploring."

"Okay," Eleanor said after a pause, probably slightly taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm.

He was ready to grab his coat and rush out of the door that very second, but then Sean was making his way over to him with that same, annoying, a little bit suspicious grin on his face.

"Come over here, little brother. I think we need to have a little chat."

Liam didn't have the time to complain before Sean forced him into the kitchen. Liam tried to shrug out of his grip, but Sean held on tightly. "If this is anything like the talk you gave me when I got here," Liam said and Sean began chuckling loudly.

"Oh, it's exactly like the talk I gave you when you got here except with improvements!"  
Sean proclaimed and Liam groaned, trying again to wiggle his way out of Sean's grasp. "Oh, no, no, no, you're not going anywhere. We have to talk about your little...situation."

"I don't have a situation."

But Sean pushed him back against the counter, making sure Liam had no way out. "Oh, yes, you do. Anyway, I'm here to give you suggestions and try to help you-"

"Help me?" Liam scoffed, glancing over Sean's shoulders to determine how difficult it would be to wrestle his way out.

"Take Eleanor to Kensington Gardens," Sean exclaimed suddenly, causing Liam to raise an eyebrow,

"Why? Statues, trees, flowers – I'm sure nature is quite exciting and all that, but I was thinking about going to some attractions-"

"No, _seriously_, it's a great place. To let you in on a little secret-" He leaned forward, his eyes wide and lips curved up in a smirk, "I took Lindsay to the statue of Peter Pan and she was so impressed that I remembered her favorite book that we-"

"Oh god, please, _please _don't finish that," Liam exclaimed loudly, wanting to put his hands over his ears, but Sean still had hold of his arms. He heard Sean finish "and no one even saw us" and grimaced, too many awful images plaguing his mind.

It took a few moments for Liam to respond. "There's – that's a _public _garden. There's people walking by. How did you – _why _would you-"

But Sean only laughed. "Oh, innocent, little Liam, when you first set foot into my home, I was sure I would go running back to mother about how the youngest isn't so...young anymore, to put it nicely-"

"Please tell me this is a joke."

"Then I realized something. You two haven't done _anything_-"

"How-"

Sean clapped Liam on the shoulder. "I _know _things, Liam. And I know you're my innocent, little brother who, although he has a girlfriend, is a virgin who needs my help."

Liam blinked rapidly, trying to process everything. "I don't need – what are you – why are we _talking _about this?"

Sean flashed him a grin. "I'm _helping _you," he exclaimed, dragging out the word "helping" as if there was some big innuendo behind it.

"I don't _need _help."

With a chuckle, Sean turned Liam around and led him under the arch that led to the living room. Eleanor was talking to Lindsay, her back toward the kitchen so she couldn't see the brothers in the kitchen."Don't you want to take it to the next...let's say, _level_?"

Liam rolled his eyes at Sean's choice of words and pulled out of his grasp. "It's not a video game. She's not a conquest." He looked back at Eleanor, hoping she couldn't hear them, but took a step back into the kitchen just in case. "I've been friends with Eleanor for six years," Liam hastened to explain, ignoring the skeptical look on Sean's face, "and we're _friends _first and foremost. I don't want any advice about sleeping with her because when we're ready, it'll happen and I don't want to take her to a garden and...jump her there."

Sean snorted. "I'm not telling you to _jump _her-"

"You're making it sound like it," Liam mumbled and, even though he wore an annoyed scowl on his face, it did nothing to deter Sean's pestering. In fact, Sean looked even more excited at Liam's surliness.

"Sounds like you need-"

"I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened," Liam cut in, practically shouting his words so he wouldn't have to hear what Sean had to say. He knew Lindsay and Eleanor could hear the conversation, but it didn't matter anymore. The conversation was over.

"But-"

"Never happened," he deadpanned, ignoring Sean's "but what did I do?" as he walked back into the living room. Eleanor had moved to face the kitchen and her eyes immediately met his. She was most likely curious about the conversation that had just taken place, but Liam wasn't about to tell her what Sean said to him. He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to tell her.

Liam knew Sean was watching them with that stupid smirk on his face and, balling his hands into fists, his eyes narrowed as response. Eleanor's eyebrows immediately shot up and she hastened to pick up her coat.

"We'll be back before dinner," she promised as she grabbed Liam's hand.

Lindsay smiled at them and Liam didn't dare look at Sean's expression. He let Eleanor pull him out of the door, sighing with relief when the door snapped shut behind him.

"What did he say to you?" Eleanor questioned, turning toward him.

Liam glanced back at the house and saw the curtains flutter in the window next to them. With a frustrated sigh, he laced his fingers with hers and made his way down the porch steps. "Come on." Eleanor remained silent until they were out of sight and then she stopped in front of him, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "What is going on?"

"Sean," Liam replied shortly, hesitant to meet her eyes. He didn't know what to tell her. He couldn't just say 'Sean was going on about my virginity and shagging you' without seeming crude and inappropriate. There just wasn't a nice way to explain it.

"You can't let him get to you. You know he just teases you because you're his little brother."

Liam shook his head. "He's just-" He couldn't say anything else, so he bit down on his lip and shrugged. "I've been locked in a room for the past couple days and I guess I'm just a little irritable," he finally said with a sigh. Looking up at Eleanor, he gave her the best smile he could muster. "Where do you want to go?"

She gave him a long look and Liam held his breath, hoping that the conversation would be over. Finally, Eleanor smiled back at him, and he let out a slow sigh, his lips twitching into a nervous smile. "Let's go on a walk," she exclaimed, grabbing onto his arm. "We can go through the gardens."

Liam flinched, but Eleanor didn't seem to notice.

-x-

He stared at the bronze statue for a long time, expression dropping into a deep frown. Eleanor didn't notice for awhile; she was looking at the flowers that were already blooming. Liam tilted his head, and he turned his attention to the open space, watching the numerous tourists pass by.

It was impossible. Sean was lying. There was no way they could have done anything here. He was just trying to get to him.

Besides, it was just a little creepy that they would choose a setting with a little boy statue overlooking them.

"You okay?" He felt Eleanor's fingers interlace with his own, but he didn't take his eyes off of the statue. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? You've been acting a bit strange today, Liam."

He turned to her, his eyes taking in the way she was lightly frowning at him with, not only her lips, but her eyes as well. She was fixated on him and didn't even bother with the curls that fell into front of her vision because she wasn't going to move until she got answers.

Liam thought back on Sean's words and though he was insistent Liam needed to "take it to the next level," Liam couldn't begin to imagine it happening at that moment. After being friends with Eleanor for six years, he always thought of her as a _friend _first. Making the transition into a relationship was easy, but slow for them; often times, he found himself unable to wrap his mind around everything their new relationship was. They were waiting and he wasn't sure for what, but it wasn't the right time looking up at the Peter Pan statue, he was sure.

"I'm fine," he finally spoke up, glancing over at Eleanor with a reassuring smile. "Sean's an idiot."

She laughed, confusion in her eyes, but didn't ask and took his hand anyway. "We all knew that."

He was ever so grateful when she led them away from the statue. He didn't know if he could kiss her with Peter Pan staring down at them.

* * *

Oh, hello.

I know it's been awhile since I've updated. My seminar for creative writing is basically the devil so I've been putting all of my writing energy into that class. I'm sorry! I want to write this. I'll writing soon; I promise.

I hope you liked this chapter even though it was long overdue. Thanks for reading!


	49. Stressful Weekend

It was a warm, sunny weekend in late May and, as most of the younger students were enjoying Honeydukes and The Three Broomsticks, the 5th and 7th years were trying to study for their end of the year exams. Students were using all free space to their benefit; they crowded the common rooms and the tiny alcoves in the hallways, especially the tables in the library. Eleanor knew it was going to be impossible to find a table, but she went searching for one anyway. After searching down every aisle, Eleanor and Suzanne, who had decided to come at the last minute, managed to find one in the back of the library. Eleanor sighed in relief, sinking down in her seat and vowing to stay there until at least lunch. She immediately went to work and was surprised when she peered over her stack of books two hours later to find an empty seat.

Leaning over the desk, Eleanor pushed aside her books, quills, and parchment to look down the aisles of bookshelves. "Suzanne?"

She ignored the "shh"s from her classmates and slowly stood up, making sure not to stray from her table in case someone was ready to take it.

"Eleanor!"

Eleanor turned at the familiar voice and blanched at the sight of Olivia sprinting in her direction.

"Oh, hello," Eleanor said slowly, trying to gauge why the girl was running over to her.

_Where_ was Suzanne?

Olivia skidded to a stop in front of Eleanor and then, with a smile, plopped down in Suzanne's seat. Eleanor raised an eyebrow at her when Olivia made a motion for Eleanor to sit down. With a dramatic roll of the eyes, Olivia pulled something out of her bag and set it down with a flourish.

Eleanor slowly sat back down, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of the object. "Ivy's book," she exclaimed, eyes darting back up to Olivia's smiling face.

"My aunt and uncle own a bookshop in Diagon Alley, Obscurus Books. Heard of it?"

Eleanor's eyes widened in recognition; she remembered spending all those days with Alexander and Phoebe Bishop and their two girls at the small bookshop last summer. "The Bishops are your relatives?"

Olivia grinned, cleared her throat and pushed back her hair with both hands. "I come here on official business." Her hands rested on the book. "My aunt and uncle want to put together a full display of _Laurel Hills_. The novel, some similar reads, things like that. They also want to put together a full biography about the author and I told them I knew the _perfect _person to write it."

Eleanor paused at the grin on Olivia's face and then dropped her gaze down to Ivy's book on the table. "I don't know-"

"And, of course my family _loves_ you and thought my idea was wonderful." Olivia must have noticed the look on Eleanor's face because she quickly added, "You can't say no because they don't want anyone else to write it. There's absolutely no one better-"

"There's-" Eleanor hesitated for a second, trying to find the right words, the right name after all this time. "Remus Lupin. He knew her. He's-"

She meant to say "alive" but the word caught in her throat. He wasn't the only one alive. He was the one who stayed loyal.

"They want you," Olivia exclaimed, her voice softening as she placed the book in Eleanor's unmoving hands. "You don't have to write it right now. I know you're studying for N.E.W.T.S., so wait until the term is over. Just think about it right now, okay?" Before Eleanor could respond, Olivia disappeared back behind the bookshelves.

Although Eleanor helped design the book and its title, it almost seemed foreign in her hands. Eleanor did a quick calculation: it had been three years since the book was published. Three years since Sirius-

Eleanor's hands curled around the book, her thumbs pressing hard into its cover. Biting down on her lip, she released her grip and set the book down in front of her.

"Hey, sorry."" She heard the approaching footsteps, but didn't look up. "I had to go find a book and – what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Eleanor exclaimed, glancing up at the girl in front of her. Suzanne looked worried – it must have been Eleanor's pale complexion. "I'm just – I'm going to go back to the common room. I think I'm getting a headache from being here."

Suzanne's eyebrows rose in surprise. "A headache from the library? I never thought I'd see the day."

Eleanor managed a weak chuckle as she stuffed her books into her bag. "I just need a change in scenery," she told Suzanne, swinging the strap over her shoulder. "I might come back before dinner."

She knew that Suzanne wasn't convinced but, instead of saying anything, her roommate only nodded with a slight smile.

Clutching the book to her chest, Eleanor stopped outside of the library doors to take in a deep breath. She thought about going back to the common room, but she knew it would be impossible to find a seat and she couldn't go back to her dormitory. Marnie would be there with her newest bout of girl drama.

Eleanor slowly began to make her way up the nearest staircase, her eyes transfixed on the book in her hands.

How could she write an biography of Ivy?

She didn't know enough about her sister's life. They only spent a couple years together before Ivy got her Hogwarts letter. Then they only saw each other during Christmas and summer break. And when Ivy finally graduated, she had Sirius-

But then she was killed.

And Sirius murdered Peter. Was sent to Azkaban. Betrayed his _friends_.

It made no sense. How could Sirius throw away everything after living the pain caused by a friend's death? Did he have any ounce of humanity? _Why_ would he ever betray his friends like that?

She tried to understand him. She tried to put herself in Sirius's place – if Liam was killed by Death Eaters and she had to go through that pain of losing someone close to her – but she still couldn't justify killing a friend. She'd never kill Suzanne or Jared. She'd never kill _anyone_.

Why would Sirius betray her sister? Her sister who _died_ – how could he -

Instead of turning the corner up to the Ravenclaw tower, Eleanor made her way down the corridor toward a familiar statute. She just needed to hide away, to _think_ and get her mind off of this whole fiasco.

_I want somewhere to be alone, I want somewhere to be alone, I want somewhere to be alone._ She stepped forward to grab the doorknob, but nothing appeared. Taking a deep breath, she paused and then repeated it out loud. Again, nothing. A door always appeared when she asked for it, and Eleanor didn't have time to theorize why the room was locking her out; she just wanted in. Dissolving quickly into desperate pleas, she tried everything to get a door to appear, but when nothing happened again and again, she quickly lost her patience. Grabbing Ivy's book with both hands, she slammed it against the wall.

"I want in," she shouted, not caring who heard her, "I want in, I want in!"

And then it finally appeared. Eleanor grabbed the doorknob in her hand and pushed against the door with her shoulder. It swung open; she stumbled into the room, gasping and furiously wiping away the hot tears that were burning her cheeks.

"Eleanor?"

She blinked rapidly, glancing up to see she was standing in a replica of the Ravenclaw common room. Someone had already changed the Room of Requirement into their own studying space.

"Are you crying? What's wrong?"

Before she could respond, Eleanor was pulled into a familiar embrace. Letting out a slow breath, she burrowed her face into his shoulder and closed her eyes. Eleanor knew she was being stupid for getting this upset – it happened years ago and she wasn't supposed to be thinking about this now. She was supposed to be concentrating on exams, her studies, school.

Not _this_.

"She wants me to write a biography about Ivy," Eleanor finally murmured, her words muffled, "I can't – I don't know anything - I _never_ knew anything about her - "

"Who wants you to write a biography?" Liam asked, pulling away slightly.

Eleanor shook her head, trying to dislodge the words in her throat. "I was in the library and Suzanne went to get a book, so I was alone and Olivia decided that she was going to come up and ask me to write a biography for her aunt and uncle's shop in Diagon Alley that I was in last summer and I can't say no, I really can't-"

"Whoa, whoa." Liam's hands moved to her shoulders. "You're rambling. Come on, sit down and relax."

She immediately pulled out of his grasp. "I can't just relax, Liam. There's N.E.W.T.S. and this biography and leaving Hogwarts and everything with – everything that happened with Sirius and Ivy and Remus and-"

"Everything that happened?"

Eleanor met Liam's concerned gaze; he had no idea why she was so upset. She didn't even know why – maybe because it made no sense, she still wanted to believe it wasn't true, she couldn't understand how things would change that drastically. She didn't know. She couldn't understand anything with her head spinning and stomach churning.

She never answered his question and he didn't try to press it. Instead, he just stood in front of her, almost as if he was waiting for her to move.

"Were you studying?"

Liam blinked at her and then said, "Um, yeah. You were studying with Suzanne or I would have invited you-"

She rushed over to where all of Liam's textbooks were spread out across the table. "What are you working on? Transfiguration?"

"I just finished studying Transfiguration-" His voice was hesitant, but she didn't stop to decipher it.

"Well, I can help you with whatever you're studying next." She sat down on the couch, leaning forward with sudden enthusiasm. "We can work together on our essays or practice spells if you want." Grabbing the closest textbook, she opened it on her lap and began running her finger down the page. "We can start with these nonverbal spells."

"Don't."

Her gaze snapped up to his. "What?"

"Don't," he repeated, slowly walking over to her. "Don't try to avoid everything with schoolwork. It'll only add to your stress."

She stared at him, trying to determine if he was being serious. He _knew_ that schoolwork was her escape from everything. He _knew_ she needed something to get her mind off of everything. "What am I supposed to do then?" she asked, setting her hands down on the book and narrowing her eyes.

He was still standing a few good meters away as if worried about getting closer. She didn't know why – maybe she was a little stressed but nothing serious. It wasn't like she was going to attack him.

"Breathe."

She rolled her eyes.

"Stop rolling your eyes at everything I say."

"I wasn't-"

"Stop being defensive."

She glared at him this time and she could have sworn he was fighting back a smile.

"Sit back and _relax_."

Eleanor crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow.

"You are just _making_ this difficult," Liam complained, crossing over in three strides to stand in front of her. "Sit back." He grabbed onto her arms, pulling her back onto the couch. "And please, relax."

When she refused by crossing her arms again and giving him another convincing glare, he sighed and got up. "Fine. You've left me with no other choice."

"What are you doing?" She couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice this time and Liam definitely noticed with a smirk of his own.

"Every time I come to the Room of Requirement, I ask for the same thing. A Ravenclaw common room with some breaking of Hogwarts rules." Taking his wand out of his pocket, he performed a spell Eleanor didn't recognize.

"What-" Suddenly, a song began playing throughout the room. Liam grinned. "What are you _doing_?" she repeated as he started to flail.

"Dancing." He spun around in a circle and continued to wave his arms in the air.

"You _cannot_ dance," Eleanor found herself laughing. Liam pulled her up off of the couch and immediately twirled her. "Liam!" she exclaimed as she almost tripped over her feet.

"You know you want to dance," Liam proclaimed, kicking up his feet and snapping his fingers. "_Let's hear it for the boy, let's give the boy a hand_," he sang along.

Eleanor sighed and then joined in with, _"let's hear it for my baby, you know you've gotta understand_."

Liam shuffled his feet; Eleanor could only guess was supposed to be a move from Footloose. "You are horrible at this!"

"Hey, the guy from the movie was horrible too." He turned around, waving his arms up and down.

"He learned how to dance through a musical montage. You...have no chance." She squealed as he grabbed her and tried to do a strange tango-like move. "Really."

Liam rolled his eyes dramatically and stepped back to dance on his own. "Fine. I'll just do my own dance moves." He went into a flail-sidestep-thing that made Eleanor dissolve into laughter.

It wasn't long before they were both running around the room, laughing to "Footloose." Although Eleanor knew exactly what Liam did (he probably thought he was being sneaky, but his modes of distraction were always so obvious), she didn't stop to chastise him.

They had only two weeks left of school. She didn't know how well she was going to do on her exams, when she'd make time to write this biography or where they'd be going during the summer. But it didn't seem to matter when Liam knew exactly how to make her laugh again.

* * *

This chapter is finally done! I'm guessing that you're all wondering where I went. Nowhere, but this chapter was giving me all sorts of trouble. Uber trouble. It haunted me for about three months. But now, I'm leaving it how it is, posting, and moving on.

So, thanks for reading. I hope you didn't hate it (as much as me), and maybe you'll review.

I'll try to work on the next chapter ASAP. No three month wait!


	50. Important Day

She was absolutely crazy.

Liam couldn't do anything but stare at her and try to determine if she was joking. But he knew she wasn't; this was Eleanor and _of course _she would plan everything. Even _this. _

"-Room of Requirement," he caught her saying after zoning out, "The dorm rooms will be too risky with the chance of anyone interrupting-"

She was so direct about everything as if planning an appointment. An _appointment_. How could she keep a straight face planning all this?

"How about the last day of finals? Is that good for you?" Eleanor finally paused and Liam knew she was expecting a straight answer.

He couldn't form any answer.

"Um-" he stalled, his gaze wandering away from Eleanor's. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about it. After telling Sean that they weren't ready for sex during Easter break, Liam began thinking that maybe he was wrong. He and Eleanor began dating since January of last year and then before that, they were friends for almost six years. They were comfortable around each other. They trusted each other. Why shouldn't they finally advance their relationship?

"Or is another day good for you because-"

"It's fine," he blurted out, turning his gaze back onto her. She raised her eyebrows, probably doubting his answer. "I mean, yeah, okay. It's – yeah – finals. Good day. Splendid day. Wonderful day."

She smiled softly. "Good."

-x-

He _knew_ he shouldn't have agreed to it on the absolute _worst_ day. It was not good, splendid or wonderful. It was the last day of N.E.W.T.S. He was supposed to be concentrating on his exams - passing with exceeding high marks to get a good job, to have a successful life, to plan for his entire future. It wasn't time to think about anything else – especially about being intimate with his girlfriend.

Eleanor had to know that his mind would be elsewhere. With every exam he took, it was another step closer to the last day of finals and he couldn't just memorize, perform, and describe spells at a time like this. He couldn't think of anything but _her._

She knew. She planned this _two weeks _in advance; Liam was sure she did it to watch him squirm.

And she didn't even seem to care. For the whole two weeks, she was completely calm and nonchalant about the whole manner. He always waited for her to mention it, but she acted as though the conversation never took place. Liam often wondered if he imagined it. It could have been a dream. Or fantasy. Maybe he hallucinated. Maybe it was his brothers' teasing that finally got to him. He had often thought about lying and saying that he was, in fact, "experienced"; even if it was just to show them that he wasn't so little anymore and he was on the same level as them. He could have made up the entire thing.

But he _knew_ it wasn't a dream.

It was real.

And it was happening _today_.

Liam couldn't remember anything about Transfiguration. Tapping his quill lightly against the side of the table, he took a deep breath and tried to come up with an answer – _any _answer. Stealing a quick glance over at Eleanor, he found her hastily scribbling.

She wasn't anxious. When her future rested on these exams, she wasn't going to let a silly little thing like her boyfriend ruin everything.

Liam sighed, pressing against the side of the table with his palms to straighten his arms. He had only answered a few questions with vague fragments. He was sure they were wrong but he didn't know how to fix them. He couldn't even think straight to write a full sentence.

His sanity was just withering away. Slowly. Making him go absolutely crazy.

Eleanor was the first one finished. Liam watched her hand her scroll of parchment to Professor McGonagall with a smile and then abruptly turn around to walk out of the hall. She was still in exam mode, her determined gaze straight-forward and unwavering. Then she was out of the doors before she could see him slouch back in his chair with a groan.

He was _never _going to remember anything about Transfiguration...

-x-

It took him an extra hour to finish the exam. Everyone else had finished so he scrawled an illegible answer for the last question and bolted out of the room, straight to the common room. He didn't even stop in the Great Hall for dinner; Eleanor was probably waiting for him and wondering what was taking so long.

He tried not to stumble over his own feet as he made his way down the corridor. What if Eleanor had changed her mind? What if she hadn't mentioned it because she forgot?

What if he really did imagine everything?

Liam took in a deep breath and then forced himself to keep walking. He wouldn't know unless he talked to Eleanor. He had to see her.

"Where are you going?"

He was already past the third floor corridor when he heard the familiar voice. It took a few moments for him to comprehend that someone was asking him a question; he whirled around at the corner, skidding to a stop.

"Oh." His eyes widened when he saw Eleanor staring at him, an amused smile pulling at her lips. "Sorry – I was – I was looking for you."

"You walked right by me," Eleanor exclaimed with a chuckle. "Though you _were_ staring at your feet, so I'm not surprised." Liam tried to give her a smile, but he was sure it looked more like a wince. "How was your exam?" she then asked, grabbing onto his hand.

She began to lead him down the corridor as Liam struggled to come up with full sentence. "Um, I – it was – a bit horrible."

"Horrible?" She turned to him with an eyebrow raised.

"I think I failed it," Liam began to ramble. "I didn't remember anything and I made up answers and it was horrible."

"You did fine," Eleanor assured him. "Besides, it's over. You can't let yourself worry about it."

"It's over," Liam repeated.

Eleanor nodded. "Last day."

She _was_ trying to kill him. "Yeah," he choked out, trying to ignore every implication of her short sentence. He tried to keep his gaze straight ahead, but then he felt her eyes on him.

Why was she staring at him? Was she asking him to take the lead? Did she want him to initiate something? Maybe she thought _he _was the one who forgot.

Taking in another slow, calming breath, Liam finally turned toward her and met her gaze. He was beginning to say "are we-" but then she pulled on his hand and they were walking in the direction of the Room of Requirement.

Okay, so she remembered.

They fell silent. Liam couldn't find a single thing to say (was he supposed to make a joke to lighten the mood? Reassure her everything was going to be fine? Tell her that he loved her?). He probably looked like a nervous wreck while was she completely calm – absolutely no worry in her expression.

When they got to the Room of Requirement, Eleanor paced in front of the wall and then let Liam led her into the room, shutting the door behind them.

It was a simple room; a coach, fireplace, and a bed in the middle of the room. Trying to ignore the way his heart sped up at the sight of the bed, he turned to Eleanor and took both of her hands in his. He expected her to show some nerves, but she wasn't even shaking and met his gaze directly. Maybe she really did plan the whole night to the second – she was always in control when she had a plan in front of her.

Suddenly, without any sort of warning, she leaned forward and, wrapping her arms around his neck, brought him down into a kiss. He froze as she pushed herself against him, moving faster than his brain could comprehend.

It was happening and he was stalling and forgetting how to breathe. He pulled away to breathe and heard her inhale sharply. Her hands were on his tie. He felt the pressure as she pulled down; now, he really couldn't breathe.

"Want to go over to the bed?"

How could she ask that so innocently? As if it didn't mean anything? Did it mean anything? It meant everything, right? All he could do was nod dumbly as she led him toward the bed.

He was thinking too much. He was over-analyzing everything and not giving himself a chance to enjoy himself. He needed to stop thinking – to just concentrate on Eleanor and not worry about anything else. Eleanor was sitting in his lap. She was real – right in front of him and waiting for him to respond. He couldn't afford to hesitate.

It was now or never. They had waited patiently for this and now it was here and she was straddling him and his hands were grazing the exposed skin at the bottom of her blouse and she was reacting so-

"Liam..."

And his name on her lips never sounded better.

He moved his hands to cup her face and deepened the kiss. She was quickly working on the buttons of his shirt, trying to pull his shirt open but his arms were in the way.

Breaking off the kiss, Liam rested his forehead against hers and moved his hands down to the top button of her blouse. Surprisingly, his hands weren't shaking as he went to work on the first button, managing it undo it quickly. He tilted his head to kiss her again and his eyes snapped open when he realized she was silently crying.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, pulling away to see Eleanor shaking her head.

"It's fine." His heart skipped a beat when she stumbled over her words. Eleanor never stumbled. "I'm just being a girl – it's stupid, okay?" She wiped her eyes and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's not stupid-" he tried saying, but she grabbed him again and opened his lips with hers.

He knew not to argue with her when she was shutting him up with a snog. He waited a few moments and then went back to the buttons on her shirt, taking his time just in case she changed her mind. When she responded with kissing him harder, he continued unbuttoning, then pulling away to see that she was wearing a pink bra.

Liam moved to her exposed neck, encouraged when she made a small sound as he began to kiss the bare skin. His hands were on her waist and when they began to move, he heard it.

A sob.

Pulling back immediately, Liam watched as Eleanor completely broke down in front of him. Her whole body was now racking with sobs and she was babbling something incoherent.

"Eleanor," he tried to get her attention frantically as he placed his hands on her face to get her to look at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry – I'm ruining everything – you've been so patient – just ignore me - " she was mumbling, shaking her head and refusing to meet his eyes. With every word, she paused to hiccup and swallow loudly, as if she couldn't breathe.

"No, no, no..." he exclaimed, "it's okay."

She shook her head violently and, with a shaky voice, added, "It's only an act carried out for reproduction or pleasure involving penetrat-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he interrupted her, moving his entire head to meet her gaze. Her eyes were wide; Liam had never seen her look so afraid. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he continued, "It's much more than a definition. You can't just define it and say that's all it is." She continued to shake her head, her entire body shuddering. "You're not ready," he realized.

Her gaze finally snapped up to his. "No, no, you've been waiting. We've been together for over a year – we've been friends forever – we're ready, _I'm _ready!"

"Eleanor-"

"I trust you!" she continued, almost frantically, "It's not like I don't trust you. I love you. I should want to do this right now-"

Liam shook his head. "I understand-"

"I should want this," Eleanor cut him off, her palms holding his face, fingers curling and shaking. "I want you, I just - "

"You're scared-"

He watched as Eleanor frowned and then insisted, "It's _fine_. I'll get over it-"

"No." He grabbed her forearms, pulling down until her hands were back in her lap. She was still shivering and shaking and Liam knew there was no way she was going to convince him now. "I'm not going to do this until you're ready."

"No!" she repeated, "I want you and I want to show you how much I love you."

He chuckled and she looked at him like he was crazy. "I know how much you love me. You don't have to show me by doing something that you're not ready to do."

"Liam!" She was grabbing him again, her teary eyes boring into his. "I _am_ ready! I'm just being emotional, a girl, stupid, dumb, just keep going-"

"I'm not," he replied softly, "I'm not going to do anything."

"Why not?" she insisted, her voice high and strained.

He pulled her against him, forcing her into a hug. "You'll regret it. I'm not going to let this be our first time if you'll regret it."

For the first time, she didn't reply right away. Instead, Liam felt her arms curl around him and her body shudder. She was crying again.

Liam wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't angry. He wasn't disappointed. He was just worried and a bit confused and concerned.

"I love you," he reassured her, pressing a kiss into her hair. She let out a shaky breath and nodded slightly against his chest. "No matter what."

He wanted to tell her that he'd wait for her, that she didn't have to force herself to do things she wasn't comfortable doing, that she was amazing and didn't have to give him anything, but the words wouldn't form correctly. He only hoped she knew.

* * *

So, who thought something was about to happen? This chapter was actually in my first draft of this story and I wasn't going to include it. However, I changed a bit and made it fit the timeline of this story; though, now it will probably seem like Liam and Eleanor will never take the next step. (Mwhahaha.)

But look, it didn't take me as long to update!

Hopefully, I use my summer to continue writing more often. There's some interesting things happening in upcoming chapters (a surprise wedding and a bad, bad, bad, bad decision for example).

Thanks for reading!


	51. Hogwarts Graduation

Eleanor could practically feel the morning light streaming into the room, commanding her to wake up and greet the day. Instead, she pulled the comforter over her head and stretched languidly, finding a comfortable position away from the window. Usually, she had her favorite pillow to block out the light, but when she reached out to find it, her fingers only met with the other end of the comforter. She tried to blindly search the side of the bed for a few moments, refusing to open her eyes and admit defeat, but she knew it was useless. Groaning, Eleanor pulled the sheets away from her face and furiously blinked until her vision cleared.

To her surprise, the light wasn't coming from the window – in fact, there _weren_'_t_ any windows. Gripping the sheets to pull herself into a sitting position, Eleanor recognized the sheets as a familiar Ravenclaw blue, but something was off. The usual drapes surrounding her bed were missing and Eleanor didn't even recognize the lamp on the bedside table. As Eleanor scanned for any familiar objects, she realized she wasn't in her dormitory. The common room was the only other place she could have fallen asleep, but the common room didn't have any beds.

She had to be in Hogwarts. She was definitely somewhere in the castle, but she couldn't think of any other rooms that had beds except for the dormitories. Of course, there was always the chance that someone had wished for a bed in the Room of Requirement-

Then, everything from the night before came back to her in a sickening jolt. She scrambled out of the bed and frantically scanned the room. "Liam?" No answer. Trying to catch her breath, Eleanor managed to make her way over to the door, hoping to see Liam waiting for her, but he wasn't anywhere to be found.

Eleanor didn't understand. Did he leave her in here by herself? Why didn't he say goodbye? Was he angry?

Actually, she could understand if he was angry. In fact, she was angry at herself for crying and ruining everything. If only she had stayed quiet, then Liam would be here with her and they'd be happy together. Instead, he was probably fed up with her antics, ready to give up on this relationship and move on somewhere else. He had a valid reason of leaving; she just wished she had time to say something to him – beg, plead, make him understand why she showed this weakness.

Digging her nails into the palms of her hands, Eleanor took in a deep breath. She wasn't going to cry again. It was over now and her tears weren't going to change anything. She just had to deal with her mistake and accept the truth – Liam wasn't going to come back for her this time.

Just as she was about to leave, the door swung open and Liam walked into the room, calmly shutting the door behind him while slinging a bag over his shoulder. When he turned toward her, his eyes widened slightly and then he paused, as if waiting for her to say something, but she had no idea what to say.

"You're awake," he finally broke the silence.

Biting down on her lip, Eleanor nodded.

"I-" Liam held up his bag, flashing her a quick, comforting smile, "I went down to the kitchens to get some food. Are you hungry?"

She tried to say something, but she couldn't form a single word. Instead, Eleanor blinked furiously, trying to get rid of the tears in her eyes.

"I know, I know. I was out after hours and I shouldn't know where the kitchens are, but I thought you might be hungry." He set the bag down on the nearest table and started taking out bowls concealed by lids. "I think this is shepherd's pie." Holding the bowl out to her, he waited for her to take it. "Your favorite." She watched as he waved it in front of her, as if that would make it more tempting, but she only stared at it. "Okay," he finally said slowly, setting it back down on the table, "what's wrong?"

She gaped at his nonchalance. "Everything," she finally managed to say.

Liam frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "I don't understand."

"You're going to break up with me, right?" After staying silent for so long, the words started to tumble out. "You said that you weren't going to force me to do anything I didn't want to do, but I know you're not disappointed with me and it's completely acceptable if you want to move on to someone that will give you-"

"You're _joking_," Liam interrupted her. She could see the confusion on his face, but still shook her head violently. "Eleanor, when I said I love you and I'd wait, I wasn't lying. I wouldn't – I _couldn't_ break up with you just because you weren't ready to have sex. Our relationship is more than that. It's been years in the making and I couldn't just forget about everything because-"

"I can't do the emotional side of this relationship," Eleanor blurted out. Liam began to say "what-" but Eleanor couldn't stop talking. "I'm fine with the physical details and acts, I really am because it's just a normal human act...and then when you try to add in the emotional aspect, I can't do it, Liam. I don't like feeling too much. I don't like feeling this way. It's too much – it's way too much for me and I can't, Liam, I really _can't_."

He was looking at her in a way that made Eleanor bite back down on her lip. It was such a blank look – she didn't even know what he was thinking. Was he angry? Disappointed? Sad? _What_ could he possibly be thinking about her?

Then Liam's next words were quick, "do you love me?" and Eleanor didn't hesitate to respond, "yes."

Liam's expression turned into something like a smile, but Eleanor didn't know how he could smile at a time like this. "Then, tell me, how is that not an emotional aspect of this relationship?"

Her lips were slightly parted as she tried to come up with some sort of answer. When she stayed silent, Liam gave her another one of those small smiles and reached over to pick up the shepherd's pie again. Eleanor watched as he took one of her hands and, after curling her fingers away from her palm – so carefully, so gently – placed it in her grasp.

"You're not angry?" she asked softly, glancing back up at him. She was beginning to wonder if _anything_ would disappoint him.

"No. Confused, but we'll talk about it, take it slow, figure something out. But right now, you should eat," Liam said as he sat down across from her, leaning his plate of food against the arm rest.

He was right; she was starving. Eleanor curled up in the armchair behind her, taking her time before digging her fork into the pie. Liam's gaze was away from her, situated on his fork as he twirled it between his fingers. It was a tiny thing, but somehow, it made her want to laugh. "I really do love you, you know," Eleanor broke the silence, causing Liam to look back up at her. "So much."

"I love you too," he replied with a grin that finally made her chuckle.

If he wasn't disappointed in her, then there was no reason for her to continue worrying. They would figure something out another day and it'd work, she knew just that much.

-x-

Even with Liam's assurances, Eleanor couldn't help but expect some sort of tension after that night, but instead, Liam quickly adapted a light, carefree mood. Most of the seventh years were acting the same way (except for the few that were worried about their futures and already having nervous breakdowns) and, at the graduation feast, everyone greeted their families with grateful smiles and elated hugs. Liam was watching everyone, his legs bouncing under the table as he hummed an undecipherable tune.

Eleanor knew Liam wasn't expecting his family to show up for the graduation feast and she wondered briefly if that was the reason behind his good mood. No teasing from his brothers for another couple days was probably a treat.

"I'm looking forward to the inevitable conversation with your mother," Liam told her as they waited with Suzanne and Jared for their families to arrive. Eleanor rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "It's been six months since I saw her. I'm due for another round of disapproving comments."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad."

"It's awful," Liam groaned, letting his head fall onto the table with a loud, drawn-out sigh. "Like torture. The ultimate torture."

"And you are being overdramatic," Eleanor chastised him, shaking her head at his antics.

"It's Liam's specialty," Suzanne teased. "I vaguely recall a certain dramatic Liam last year."

"Moody, melodramatic, impossible Liam," Jared muttered.

Instead of sitting up, Liam turned to glare at Suzanne and Jared by rolling over. Eleanor laughed, moving to pat Liam's back in mock sympathy. Turning around in her seat, Eleanor quickly scanned the room for her parents.

Her eyes fell on a group of familiar people and she squinted her eyes to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. "Hey, Liam," she said slowly, "are you sure your family's not attending?"

"Positive," he replied, lifting his head off of the table to look at her. "Why do you-" His sentence came to an abrupt stop and he bolted upright.

"There he is!"

"This can't be real," Liam muttered as he stood up. "They are not here, they are not here, they are not here."

Eleanor winched as Conner quickly ran over, scooping up Liam in a massive hug. Behind him, Sean smirked as he watched his little brother struggle and Mrs. Pritchard swatted his arm, snapping a quick, "I see that smirk, Sean! Be nice, it's your brother's graduation."

"Liam, hey!" Liam finally broke free, but Conner didn't seem to care. Instead, he started to wildly gesture with his hands. "So, I was just in our kitchen mere minutes ago – _minutes_, can you believe it? - when Mrs. White showed up at the door babbling about your graduation and we thought she was crazy – I mean, you were hours away and there was no way a train would be able to get us here in time - but anyway, she insisted that we come over. Then she showed us something with some powder-"

"Floo powder," Liam corrected him.

"Yeah, that stuff. And then she gestures toward her fireplace and I'm looking at her like she's crazy because it's a fireplace and then I had flashbacks to those Hansel and Gretel fairytales. I always suspected her of eating all the young children – remember, I left you in front of her house when we were kids and you cried about how she was going to capture you? So, I thought that she was crazy and she throws the powder stuff in the fire and it turns green. So, I assume it's magic, obviously, and I had to go in and try it because it's _green_ fire and and then I'm here at a castle and _this_ is where you go to school? Are you kidding me? This _entire_ time and you went to a _castle_?"

He took a step back to stare up at the enchanted ceiling and Liam took the chance to get away. "Mum, hey." He gave her a quick hug and pulled back with a smile. "I'm glad you could come."

She seemed a little out of place, but managed a smile in return as she clutched onto her purse. "I've seen you do magic before, but this seems like something out of a storybook."

Liam grinned. "It's real." Even after seven years, Eleanor could still hear the amazement and wonder in his voice.

Sean was staring at a student who was twirling her wand in between her fingers. "So, you actually use those sticks of wood to do...magic?"

"Yes, magic is real," Liam spoke slowly, "and that's why I've been going to a magical school for seven years."

Sean frowned. "Hey, no, little brother, sarcasm and taunting is my thing." Liam rolled his eyes, causing Sean to point at him and shout "hey!" again.

"Where's Lindsay and Graham?" Liam changed the subject, probably hoping to avoid a pointless argument in the middle of the Great Hall.

"Over at Lindsay's parents," Sean answered, also distracted by the ceiling. "Is it...like 3-D?"

Liam glanced back at Eleanor, surprising her with an amused laugh. He had to be enjoying this moment – finally, he was the "bigger" brother with all of his knowledge of Hogwarts.

Eleanor watched as the entire Pritchard family stared up, their mouths slightly open in amazement. Then Conner looked away, his gaze falling on something behind Eleanor. When his eyebrows furrowed, Eleanor had to turn and look and what was making Conner look so puzzled.

Olivia Rothe was practically skipping her way over to the group.

Eleanor hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to greet the girl. Maybe Olivia wouldn't bother them if she just-

"Hi, Liam!"

Or not.

"Oh," Liam's eyes flickered over to Eleanor before he forced himself to turn back to the girl in front of him. "Hi, Olivia."

"I'm so proud of you!" the brunette gushed, smiling brightly and grabbing onto his arm. Behind Liam, Conner's eyebrows rose slightly. "I bet you got outstandings on all of your exams."

Eleanor could tell Liam was forcing the smile on his face just by the way the corners of his mouth were twitching. "I hope I did," he replied slowly and then turned toward his family. "Mum, this is Olivia. She's-" he faltered, probably not sure what to call her.

"One of his best friends," Olivia introduced herself, holding out her hand.

Liam let out a long, visible sigh and then put on that smile again. "Yeah, Olivia's a...friend."

"Your son is really wonderful," she exclaimed, shaking the older woman's hand enthusiastically before turning toward Conner. "Oh." She paused for a second, tilting her head at him before saying, "You must be one of Liam's brothers. The resemblance is uncanny."

Conner looked over at Eleanor for a second, then Liam, before finally turning back to Olivia. "Conner," he introduced himself, his lips twitching into a smirk. "And you are Olivia, one of Liam's...friends?"

Liam immediately began to glower.

"Yes," Olivia exclaimed with a huge smile, oblivious to Liam's discomfort. "We've been friends for a couple years now-"

"With _my_ brother? The same Liam Pritchard right here?" Sean entered the conversation, placing his hand on Liam's shoulder and lightly shaking the younger boy, the same Pritchard smirk stretching across his face. Liam pushed himself away, grumbling something to himself as he stalked behind Eleanor, presumably so his brothers couldn't touch him.

"Boys, why don't you go and explore the castle a bit?" Mrs. Pritchard interrupted and then paused, turning toward Liam. "Is that all right if they go by themselves?"

Eleanor cringed, imagining the chaos and destruction in the corridors and, judging by the look on Liam's face, he was thinking the same thing.

"Mrs. Pritchard," Olivia spoke up, "I'd be glad to show them the castle separately since it would make things easier for you."

Liam looked between Olivia and Conner and Sean, finally shrugging. "I guess that could work." Eleanor knew Liam was seeing this as a way out; not only would Sean and Conner be far away from him, but Olivia would have to deal with that chaos and maybe they would balance each other out.

"Wonderful." Olivia clasped her hands together and pulled on Conner's sleeve. He almost tripped over his own feet as Olivia led the way and Liam had to stifle a laugh. "I'm sure you've noticed the enchanted ceiling. It's pretty wonderful, don't you think? Out this door, we have the front doors and the staircase to the first floor." Sean quickly ducked behind the Hufflepuff table, effectively losing the two as Olivia pulled Conner out of the Great Hall.

"Oh, Eleanor!"

Eleanor felt Liam shrink back into his seat as the familiar voice called out her name. She wanted to feel sorry for him, but she was distracted by the way her mother was hustling over to her. "Hello, mum, dad." Without giving them time to exchange hugs, she gestured over to the table. "You know Liam. And this is Suzanne and Jared."

Her father immediately went to introduce himself to Suzanne and Jared, but her mum kept a stern gaze on Liam. Before she had the chance to say anything, Eleanor quickly added, "And this is his mother, Charlotte Pritchard."

Mrs. Pritchard, who was standing to the side, gave Eleanor's mother a warm smile. "Oh, hello," her mother exclaimed and Eleanor watched in anticipation as she actually tried to act friendly for once. The two older women shook hands before they lapsed into an awkward (and a bit frightening) silence.

"Uh, mum," Liam was quick to speak, "you two should, um...go look at the castle together."

"That's a good idea." Eleanor tried to look excited about the idea. It meant that their parents would have time to get to know each other and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but they had to try. "Why don't you take dad, too? I'm sure Mrs. Pritchard would like to hear all about your stories at Hogwarts."

To encourage them, Eleanor grabbed onto her parents' hands and hurried them out of the Great Hall. Liam followed closely behind, proclaiming something about how Hogwarts was a very confusing castle and it would be great to have a couple tour guides.

"Why can't you show me the castle, Liam?" Eleanor heard his mother ask.

"Oh. We – we have this sort of ceremony rehearsal thing before the dinner and all of the graduating seventh years need to be there, so – so I think it would be really great if you went with Eleanor's parents. I promise, they're nice people and it would mean a lot to me."

There was no ceremony rehearsal and Eleanor had a feeling Mrs. Pritchard knew her son was lying, but she didn't give it away. Instead, she responded, "I really do want to see these moving staircases you were talking about."

They stopped in front of the oak doors and Liam gave his mother a grin. "Just be back here by seven." He waited until their parents were almost up the staircase before asking, "Do you think they'll actually get along?"

"I think it's a possibility," Eleanor answered.

Although they didn't plan it, she was kind of impressed with the way everything was turning out. Maybe her mother would finally accept their relationship after speaking with Mrs. Pritchard. Maybe this was the next step that Eleanor needed – approval from everyone – before taking that other next step with Liam. And maybe, since they were graduating, everything would finally fall into place. She smiled as Liam grabbed onto her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers as they made their way through the crowd and back into the Great Hall.

* * *

I UPDATED. HEY.

Not much to say, other than this chapter is extremely long and I even had to cut out some scenes, so you'll be seeing some flashbacks in chapter 53. (Interesting...scenes. Really really really really interesting.)

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!


	52. Diagon Alley

Liam drummed his fingers against the brick, expertly avoiding the little button beneath his palm. He was supposed to press it – a simple move he could probably achieve by just applying pressure with his palm – but his entire body was trembling and he couldn't muster up the courage.

_Be a Gryffindor, Liam. Have courage. Just press it already!_ he repeated silently, but no matter how many times he tried to convince himself to press the button, he couldn't do it. Sighing in frustration, Liam braced his other hand against the door and quickly checked the time.

He had been standing there for eight minutes. Eight minutes of indecision and uncertainty and shuffling feet.

Liam thought of his mother and Conner, waiting for him at Quinto Bookshop on Charing Cross Road. They were probably getting restless – especially Conner. Books could only interest his brother for so long.

With a sigh, Liam leaned forward, slamming his forehead against the door. It was such a bad idea. He actually told her, "that is an extremely bad, horrible, _and_ awful idea," when Eleanor first suggested it. Surprisingly, she didn't chastise his tone or pessimism. Instead, she just raised an eyebrow and reminded him that he told her "all of your ideas are brilliant." Of course he couldn't just take back his compliment and say "well, I lied."

Liam stared at his feet and, after a few long moments of rocking back and forth on his toes and murmuring "just ring it, just ring it, just ring it," he finally closed his eyes and pressed down.

_Please be Eleanor, please be Eleanor, please be Eleanor,_ he pleaded as he waited, holding his breath to pick up on any inside movement. There was the screeching of a chair and then the unmistakable clicking noises of heels on hardwood floor.

"Mum, it's okay, I'll get it," a familiar voice exclaimed before the lock clicked and the door was thrown open in haste.

"Eleanor," he tried to greet his girlfriend, but her name dissolved into a nervous laugh when he saw Mrs. Bennett standing in the hallway. Liam only got a two second glimpse before Eleanor grabbed onto his arm and began to pull him toward the staircase.

"Eleanor, don't you try to avoid-"

Before Mrs. Bennett could finish her sentence, Liam and Eleanor had made it to the top of the stairs and turned the corner into Eleanor's bedroom. They had escaped Eleanor's mother for now, but Liam was sure she was going to venture up the stairs and knock down the door.

Eleanor didn't seem to care. He found himself against the very door Mrs. Bennett was sure to burst through with Eleanor's lips on his, her hands pulling on his shirt to reach him, her body against his...

It had been twenty-seven days.

And they were completely mad for thinking they could go without each other for that long.

"Missed you," Liam pulled back to say and then pulled Eleanor back with him, landing with a loud thump against the door. They both froze.

"Eleanor! You better have that door wide open in there! You know the rules!"

Eleanor groaned softly, closing her eyes in frustration and leaning forward to rest her forehead against Liam's chest. "This is not going to work," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry, but did I miss something?" Liam couldn't stop himself from saying. "Was this whole thing planned so we could just snog in your bedroom – not that I have any complaints, I'm just saying – I thought we were going to Diagon Alley and I would have gotten work off sooner if I had known."

With a laugh, Eleanor looked up. "No, I just missed you and I knew my mother would never let us have a moment's peace with you standing in the doorway. She was just waiting to interrupt."

"You could have waited until we left." Liam grinned. "But really, I'm not complaining."

"Eleanor Susan Bennett!"

Sighed, Eleanor murmured a quick, "sorry," before leaning over to open the door. Mrs. Bennett was standing right outside the doorway, lips pursed. "Hello, mum," she exclaimed, stepping out of Liam's grasp. He immediately stuffed his hands into his pockets and tried to move out of sight, but Mrs. Bennett set her gaze on him before snapping back to Eleanor.

"May I ask what you two were doing in here? I specifically told you to keep your door open."

"Sorry, mum. I promise, we weren't doing anything you wouldn't approve of." Eleanor's voice remained steady, but Liam flinched, imagining Eleanor snogging him against a door in her bedroom with her mother just outside, waiting to tear down the door to find another reason to dislike her daughter's boyfriend.

"Eleanor-"

"Mum, I'm seventeen – eighteen in less than two months. I'm not going to make any stupid decisions and I'm not going to do anything that will lead to serious consequences. If it's Liam you're worried about, don't worry. I'm sure after knowing him for years now, you've grown to understand that he'd never hurt me. He's my _best_ friend and he should have earned your respect a long time ago. Dad finally understands. Why can't you?"

Liam watched as Mrs. Bennett stared at her daughter. Both of their gazes were unwavering and Liam was sure neither was going to back down. Then, Mrs. Bennett pursed her lips again, glancing away briefly.

"If it makes you feel better," Eleanor began slowly, and Liam knew she was making her concluding arguments, "We invited his mum and brother to come with us to Diagon Alley. I'm sure you remember your first visit to Diagon Alley – they are going to be with us the entire time, asking a million questions about every single piece of magic they see. Liam and I will never have a moment of free time."

Liam could have groaned out loud, but he bit down on his tongue and focused his gaze on the floor. After Conner had developed a sudden interest in the magical community, his mum proposed this trip to Diagon Alley. She had always wanted to see the shops and Conner jumped on the chance immediately. It was "when are we going?" and "how do you get in?" and "they will allow us in, right?" for the past couple weeks.

"As long as Mrs. Pritchard accompanies you, I see no problem with your visit," Eleanor's mother finally commented. "But if I hear about anything-"

Eleanor didn't let her mother finish; she pulled on Liam's hand, hurrying past Mrs. Bennett and back down the stairs. Liam waited for Mrs. Bennett to come out rushing after them, but they managed to make their way out of her house without any interruptions.

"You didn't even say goodbye," Liam pointed out.

He thought she would frown at him, make some defense statement, but instead she turned around in front of him and continued to walk backwards. "I'm allowed to be a bit rebellious, aren't I?"

"You?" He raised an eyebrow at her. He had to admit she was acting quite rebellious today. "I'm gone for a month and you completely change on me?"

Eleanor rolled her eyes and then turned back toward the house. "Oh, I almost forgot." She pulled her wand out of the pocket of her jean shorts and said, "_Accio camera_." It took three seconds for Liam's present to find its way out of an upstairs window and into Eleanor's hands. "If we're only going to see each other once every month-"

"It was work, Eleanor, I tried to come and see you-"

"-then I'm going to need pictures to remember you exist."

"You'd forget about me?" Even though he tried to look hurt, a smile pulled at Liam's lips.

"It'd probably be fairly easy." Eleanor teased – at least he hoped she was teasing – as she put the camera around her neck. "After not seeing you for awhile, I'd forget the little things first – that little twitch of your lips when you're trying not to smile, the attentive stare when I speak, the awkward shuffling you do around my mum – and then the other things – color of your eyes, grin, your voice. It's quite easy."

"I don't think so," Liam exclaimed without pause. "I think it would be near impossible." Liam knew she would give him that half-smile before her lips even moved.

Surprisingly though, she didn't argue. Instead, she grabbed ahold on his hand and proclaimed, "Well, your family is waiting."

-x-

"You're late." Conner stood outside of the bookshop, arms crossed and eyes narrowed in Liam's direction.

Liam gave him a strange look as he and Eleanor walked over to the building from their apparition point. "We're not on any schedule."

"You _said_ fifteen minutes at most. You _said_ we'd be at this Diagon Alley by noon at the latest. It is now 12:33 and we're thirty-three minutes late. You _lied_. We are late."

"Why does it matter?" Liam murmured, brushing past his brother.

"I hate being late." Liam noticed Conner fall into step behind him, almost in haste.

He looked back at his brother, quirking an eyebrow at Eleanor. His brother was out of his mind. "You are always late to everything, Conner."

"Not to – seeing this – we're going – it's a – a _magical world_, Liam," Conner stumbled over his words, gesturing wildly toward Charing Cross Road. There was nothing magical about the actual road, but Liam didn't bother to comment. "I don't want to be late for a magical world!"

"Conner, your brother is here now," his mother finally spoke up. She was standing at the back of the group, nervousness etched on her face. Liam knew she was worrying about the trip for weeks. Without the comfort of knowing exactly what to expect, she couldn't plan ahead for their trip. "You don't have to be anxious anymore."

"I just don't like being late," Conner repeated. He continued to repeat himself as they made their way into the Leaky Cauldron – not even commenting on the fact that the pub wasn't there a couple seconds ago – and all the way to the back entrance. Liam thought he would fall silent at some point – be transfixed by the magic or something like that – but Conner continued to complain about Liam's tardiness.

"He's driving me mad," Liam whispered to Eleanor as she got out of her wand and tapped the right sequence on the brick wall. "He's just doing this to be annoying, I know," he added when she opened her mouth to respond, "but if he's going to be like this the entire time, I'm going to go completely mad. _Completely_."

Liam was only able to hear half of Conner's next complaint because his brother's mouth finally snapped shut when the bricks began to move, creating an entrance into Diagon Alley.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Liam muttered, all enthusiasm gone from his voice.

"_Wow_, look, there's – and is that a – what is _that_?" Conner pushed Liam out of the way as he rushed onto the street. Liam could have sworn he was pointing to an owl (really, he couldn't tell what an owl was?) Liam didn't have a chance to answer before Conner disappeared in the crowd.

"Um, mum, I think we just lost Conner," he said after a beat. Even standing on his tip-toes, Liam couldn't see his brother anywhere and he couldn't hear anything but the chatter of the crowd and a clicking noise. He should have been able to see Conner's head over the crowd (since his older brother was an inch taller than him) but he could only see witches and wizards and there was no out-of-place muggle to be found. For a split second, Liam thought it was okay; Conner was gone, Eleanor and Liam could have a moment of peace, and everyone was happy. Then Liam imagined the damage and chaos: Conner in Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, buying all sorts of prank items that he'd try to use in the muggle world and then the Ministry of Magic would come in and blame Liam for allowing a muggle into Diagon Alley...

"I'm sure Conner is fine, Liam," his mother assured him, but he was only half-listening.

Conner going to buy hundreds of rats and setting them lose in his room, buying a broomstick and trying to fly it around Diagon Alley, making his way into Knockturn Alley...

"I'm sure he just got distracted, Liam," he heard Eleanor add, "There is a lot to take in."

"Shouldn't we go and find him?" Liam asked, looking back at his mother and Eleanor. He didn't know why they were so nonchalant about Conner by _himself_ in a _magical_ community. Liam winced as awful images continued coming to mind.

"Eleanor, would you like to show me that bookshop you highly recommended?"

Liam watched in disbelief as his own mother and girlfriend conspired against him and made their way down the street. He hesitated, knowing that it would be wise to find Conner now and stop whatever awful decision he was bound to make, but Liam couldn't just leave Eleanor and his mother to explore Diagon Alley by themselves.

With a sigh, he hurried to catch up, pushing his worries to the back of his mind.

He hoped he wouldn't regret it.

* * *

Not much happens in this chapter, but it sets up the next chapter which I promise you is _very _eventful. It will also be posted ASAP because I want to get as much of this story done as possible before I start school again.

Any guesses about Conner? I'm interested in what you all think. As always, thanks for reading!


	53. Leaky Cauldron

The cauldron shop was the last to close; the building darkened and then the shopkeeper waddled out of the door, turning around to lock the building with a flick of his wand. He gave Eleanor a small smile (which she was unable to return) before disapparating on the spot.

"Nowhere to be found!"

Eleanor sighed and closed her eyes. She had heard all of this before, but this time, she couldn't assure him that Conner had to be somewhere in Diagon Alley. Every shop was closed and Conner was nowhere in sight.

Liam was right. He was gone.

"Up and leaves as soon as we get to Diagon Alley! Didn't even say where he was going! Did he expect us not to care where he went? It's not like we can go home without him!"

Eleanor turned to see Mrs. Pritchard standing off to the side, her entire body shaking. Liam was pacing back and forth, gesturing wildly with his hands as he continued to mumble about how Conner had left them with no explanation. Eleanor didn't know what to do; she wanted to comfort Mrs. Pritchard but there was nothing to say to her. It was a fact now: Conner was gone. He wasn't anywhere in Diagon Alley. He left. Eleanor wanted to tell Liam to stop pacing, but she was almost afraid to say anything to him. He was becoming quite manic.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought him! I knew he would do something like this. He always does something like this!"

"Liam," Eleanor tried saying, but she knew he wouldn't listen to her. He wasn't listening to anybody. Instead, she turned her attention to Mrs. Pritchard. Giving Liam's mother a reassuring smile, Eleanor began to say, "Maybe we should get a room for the night. Wait until Conner comes back." Liam abruptly caught her gaze, his eyes dark and narrowed. "He _will_ come back," she added but that didn't change his annoyed expression.

"Can we get a room?" Mrs. Pritchard interrupted. "Are you sure they will allow a...non-magic person to-"

"Yes," Eleanor replied. "It won't be any problem. You have Liam with you. And I'll stay too."

Mrs. Pritchard shook her head furiously. "No, Eleanor, you go home. You don't have to stay because of us."

Eleanor looked over at Liam who was watching them silently. It seemed as if he had grown tired of complaining, but Eleanor could see something else in his expression: a plea. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted help.

"I'll stay," she repeated with a firm nod. "I'm sure my parents won't mind." It was a lie, but Eleanor wasn't that worried. She could deal with her mother later.

Liam's lips quirked up into the closest thing to a smile and then he rubbed his face in exasperation and frustration. "I can't believe he left," he said after they began to walk toward the Leaky Cauldron. Thankfully, he lowered his voice and it was almost a whisper meant only for Eleanor to hear. "My mum doesn't like showing her emotions but she's frantic right now."

Eleanor looked over at Mrs. Pritchard who was wringing her hands and taking in deep breaths. "He'll turn up," Eleanor insisted, loud enough for her to hear. "We just have to give him time."

After speaking with Tom the landlord, he agreed to give them a discounted room for the night. He also promised to keep an eye out for Conner and ask late night customers if they had seen the young man anywhere. This seemed to soothe Mrs. Pritchard's worries a little. She thanked Tom profusely, fumbling with coins to give him before Eleanor reminded her that the wizarding world used a different currency.

"We have two rooms," Eleanor explained slowly, watching Mrs. Pritchard for any reaction. "I can stay with you and Liam can share a room when Conner comes back."

Instead of commenting on Eleanor's optimism about Conner's return, Mrs. Pritchard proclaimed, "Eleanor, dear, stay with Liam." Eleanor didn't dare turn to see Liam's expression. Instead, she kept her gaze on the older woman, mouth open slightly in shock. It was something she _never_ expected a parent to say. "I trust you. Liam needs someone to stay with him tonight. I'll be fine."

"Mum-" Liam began to say, but Mrs. Pritchard gave him a stern look and he didn't say anymore. Eleanor snuck a glance at him; his lips were tightly shut and his eyebrows furrowed as he looked up to the ceiling. He didn't know how to react to his mother's proclamation.

Eleanor couldn't blame him. She didn't know what to say either. She wanted to invite Mrs. Pritchard to stay with them, but she knew there wouldn't be enough space for all three of them in one tiny room.

But Eleanor didn't get a chance to change Liam's mother anyway. She gave Liam and Eleanor a tiny, worn "good night" before opening the door to her room and disappearing inside.

"This is killing her," Liam muttered bitterly. "Conner's an _idiot, _doing this to her."

She tried to come up with something to say to him but she was having trouble with her words all day. She couldn't condone Conner's behavior; it was _stupid_ to go out by himself even if he had a good reason. Eleanor didn't even know if Conner had a good reason. He had _some _reason and she was curious as to what it was going to be.

"What do you think he's doing?" Liam seemed to read her mind as they made their way inside their room. It was a small room with only one bed and a fireplace in the corner; although it was slightly under decorated, it was good enough for one night.

Eleanor paused and then said, "It's Conner. He's probably out having fun. Don't worry about him."

Liam snorted. "I'm not worried about him. I'm _angry_ at him. There's a difference."

"You're worried too."

He rolled his eyes and then fell down on the bed with a loud creak. "I'm just sick of my brother's antics. I thought this would be a good day – I had been looking forward to it for _weeks –_ and then Conner decides to ruin everything as always. Yeah, I guess I'm worried about him. He's my brother, but I also want to curse him and enjoy his misery."

With a sigh, Eleanor laid down next to him and Liam groaned, rolling over to face her. She thought he would continue complaining but instead, he remained silent, his eyes piercing into her own. He was hesitating, trying to say something, but every time he opened his mouth, he quickly changed his mind.

"Liam..." Eleanor whispered and he finally tore his gaze away from her, looking away to the far wall.

"What if – what – you know, all of the dark wizards weren't captured after the war. What if Conner walked into one of them and-" His voice cracked and Eleanor lightly pressed down on his shoulder and he turned to face her again.

There it was.

That fear. Worry. Anxiety. No more anger.

"He can't do magic to defend himself, Eleanor. He's just...Conner."

"He's smart, Liam." But he wasn't listening to her. He quickly scrambled to get up and began pacing again. Eleanor slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and then watched him walk back and forth. There was no way to distract him; his mind was going to be on Conner until his brother returned.

"Liam, come to bed," she tried anyway.

He didn't seem to hear her.

"Liam, you need to sleep."

Nothing was working. He was out of it.

"Hey." She reached over and managed to grab one of his flailing hands. Pulling gently, she coaxed him back over to her. His knees bumped against the end of the bed and he stared at her blankly. "Sleep. Feel better. It's simple."

Liam shook his head. "Eleanor, I can't-"

But he was already kneeling on the bed, halfway into giving in. "Then use me," she tried. At this point, she was willing to do anything just to see him relax. "Think about me, forget about your brother for just a moment and remember me."

"Eleanor-"

She should have known he would protest. "It's just sleep, Liam. It's just me."

He let out a shuddering sigh and then crawled back to his spot next to Eleanor. He was staring at her again with that same intensity but she didn't shy away from it. Instead, she gave him a reassuring smile and let him pull her into an embrace.

Eleanor thought she wouldn't sleep at all, but she felt herself drifting off quickly.

-x-

She was jolted out of sleep by the creak of the bed. Liam wasn't beside her anymore. Then Eleanor heard giggling and loud voices outside their room and the door unlocking. Light flooded in from the hallway.

"Liam," Eleanor whispered, but her voice was still thick from sleep and it was barely more than two breathy consonants.

Rubbing her eyes, Eleanor pushed herself out of the bed, untangling the blankets from her legs. It took awhile to regain her balance as she made her way out of the room and down to the first floor of the Leaky Cauldron.

Liam was at the top of the stairs before she caught him. "Liam," she whispered, voice straining to get his attention.

He turned, barely catching her gaze for a second before descending the steps. Wrapping her arms around herself, Eleanor hastily followed, stopping on the middle stair. Liam was standing at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes wide and his breathing noticeably shallow and fast.

"What are you-"

It felt like her stomach leapt into her throat when Eleanor heard a familiar giggle in response. Peering in the crack between the ceiling and the staircase, she saw Conner standing at the counter, a wide grin on his face. But he wasn't who Eleanor recognized.

Olivia Rothe stood next to him, holding on his arm and giggling incessantly.

"We'd like a room, please!" Conner ignored Liam's statement, turning toward Tom who was giving both brothers a strange and confused look.

"Conner!" Although Eleanor couldn't see Liam's face, she could hear the confusion, frustration, and anger in his voice. "Mum's been worried sick about you!"

Conner just waved him off, repeating, "A room, good sir!"

Olivia giggled again, drumming her fingers against Conner's arm. It was then Eleanor noticed the flash of gold on her finger. Frantic, it took a moment for Eleanor to figure out which of Olivia's moving fingers it was on, but she wasn't imagining things.

Ring finger.

"Conner! _Listen to me!" _Liam shouted, causing Tom to throw a scowl and a "quiet!" at him.

Olivia laughed this time – not a giggle but a full laugh – as she uncurled her fingers from Conner's arm. "Liam, let us have fun. It's our honeymoon."

Eleanor flinched and slowly moved to sit down on the step, worried that her legs would give out on her. This was _not_ going to end well.

"What?" Liam's voice was quiet, but it wasn't soft.

Conner plunked down some money on the counter, shoving it towards Tom before exclaiming, "Well, remember your graduation thing on Hogwarts when Olivia showed me around? We really didn't get very far. Just that broom closet next to the hall. We got to know each other very well though, didn't we?"

He flashed a grin at Olivia who giggled and said, "We've been owling each other since. Didn't you notice?"

Eleanor knew that Liam hadn't.

"And we planned for this whole Hogsmeade trip. I mean, we didn't plan on the marriage thing but we thought "why not?" and went to a little chapel and just got married with no fuss or anything. Just me and Liv."

She smiled, proclaiming, "I love you" before he crushed his lips to hers. He was a messy, long kiss, drawn out over the span of over half a minute. Eleanor could see Liam's hands clenching into fists and she wanted to rush him out of there, but the kiss ended before she could.

"God, you're amazing," Conner expressed, arms still around each other.

"_You're_ amazing," Olivia responded and then they were kissing each other again, hands everywhere. Eleanor could only see Tom's face from where she was sitting; he was trying to look away from the couple, but she could tell he was somewhat transfixed by what was happening. Eleanor had to turn away. She couldn't look at Conner and Olivia for another second without imagining Liam's reaction.

"Oh, Liam!" Olivia broke away long enough to exclaim, with a bright, satisfied smile on her face, "I guess you're my brother-in-law now! Isn't that _fantastic_?"

Eleanor knew that would be the last straw and she was right; Liam immediately stalked off, trudging back up the staircase without a single glance at Eleanor. She stood up to follow him – talk sense to him – but she was stopped by Mrs. Pritchard making her way down to the first floor.

"Conner's here?" she asked, her eyes wide and frantically scanning the room.

Eleanor nodded mutely, moving aside so she could see her son. Mrs. Pritchard rushed down the staircase, immediately grabbing onto Conner and launching into a tirade.

The second floor was completely silent except for the loud footsteps coming from their room. Eleanor hesitated before pushing the door open and putting a silencing charm on the room just in case.

"They're _married_," Liam whirled around to face her and Eleanor wasn't sure how to respond. There was that blazing, angry look in his eyes – only reserved for his brothers – and she knew whatever she said wouldn't make a difference. "Married. Conner and _Olivia_. Olivia. They don't even _know _each other!"

"It wasn't best way to go about it, but maybe they really do lo-"

"Don't," Liam cut her off, giving her an exasperated look. "That's not possible."

She knew it was going to be the wrong to say, but she needed to reason with him. "This was their decision. Why are you so angry?"

"It's a _game_," Liam rambled, "I always have to be last. Sean and Conner always have to beat me – they make sure of it. I can't do anything before them – I can't think about disrupting their stupid, little...what is it? - a – a _timeline_ in which they do everything first and leave the leftovers for their little brother who isn't good enough to make his own choices. They aren't in love – this is just another game for Conner. He just wanted to take something from my life, make it his, and make sure he's the next one to grow up and get married. He never liked us because he doesn't like the fact that I have someone and now he's done this just to _beat_ me. Just because of this bloody game-"

He was being immature, but Eleanor couldn't get a word in. Liam was gone, livid at his brother for something out of his control.

"They've known each other for – what – a couple weeks and Conner thought it'd be a good idea for them to elope? They're not in love. They can't fall in love that quickly."

"Olivia always gets what she wants quickly," Eleanor said, and Liam fell into a silence.

He groaned, running a hand through his hair, his eyes narrowed to slits. Eleanor was almost afraid to meet his gaze again. She hated seeing this anger in his expression – it wasn't like him to be this upset. "This is ridiculous. Conner only went with it because – because -" Suddenly, his eyes flickered back up to meet Eleanor's. There was a surprising kind of wonderment in his stare. He mouthed the word "because" again and then his mouth twitched into a slight smirk. "Eleanor."

"What?"

"Eleanor," he repeated, taking a step to stand in front of her.

"Liam," she responded slowly. Hopefully, he was beginning to see reason.

"You love me, right?"

If he wanted reassurance, she could give that to him. "Yes, of course."

He suddenly grinned and Eleanor knew this wasn't going to be good; this was too abrupt. "Then marry me."

She thought she heard wrong.

She almost convinced herself she heard wrong, but then Liam took her hands in his and gave her what she could only describe as a manic grin. "Eleanor Bennett, marry me."

It wasn't what she expected. She didn't even know what she was expecting him to do, but a proposal was the last thing on her mind. An unpleasant chill raced down her spine and she let out a sharp breath, her gaze tearing away from his.

"You have to marry me," Liam was saying, but she could barely hear him over the buzzing in her ears. "You know what that would say to Conner and Olivia? Just imagine the looks on their faces – Conner wouldn't be able to _speak_. Eleanor, can you imagine it?"

She was biting down on her lip, trying to block out his voice, so she could think, breathe, do _something_ but it wasn't working.

"Eleanor, hey, what do you say?"

"Liam," she began, but her voice was shook so much she had to stop and take in a long breath.

"Please say yes."

Eleanor blinked, glancing up to see him staring back at her, a sure smile on his face. He squeezed her hands, probably waiting for that yes – the affirmative answer to his proposal – his proposal that wasn't even a proposal. It was something else – an assurance of how he could live up to his brothers.

It wasn't about her.

"Liam, I-" He was nodding slightly and his confidence suddenly made her wrench her hands out of his grasp. "You're asking me to _marry_ you?" she confirmed and he smiled at her. "So, since Conner and Olivia are married, we have to get married too? Just because of _them?_"

His smile faltered slightly, but it was still there. "Why _not_, Eleanor? I love you and you love me. It makes sense."

"It makes _no_ sense." She found her voice and everything was spilling out now. "A proposal – a marriage – is supposed to be about two people in _love, _not because of some game and brotherly rivalry. And being in love isn't supposed to be a fortunate bonus. It's supposed to be _everything_." Liam looked as if he didn't know what to say. The smile was gone now and he was staring at her, his mouth slightly open. "No," Eleanor finally said, shaking her head. "It's a no."

Liam looked momentarily shocked before he turned away from her, moving across the room in quick strides. Eleanor couldn't see what he was doing, but she could hear him mumbling, saying something that she wasn't meant to hear.

She wondered if she should leave but he looked so lost, so confused, so angry.

"You told me," Liam spoke up, trudging back over to her with that blazing look back in his eyes. "You _told _me that I could use you-"

"Not like _this!_ Not as a temporary answer to your problems-"

"Temporary? Marriage is not _temporary_. Their marriage will be. Ours _won't,_" Liam growled, his face only inches from hers.

"We are _not_ getting married."

Liam's eyes flashed and he took a step back. "Fine. Fine. If that's what you want, then we'll just go back to being Liam and Eleanor – the couple who never _does _anything and doesn't _go _anywhere and absolutely bores everyone and everything-"

Eleanor flinched, biting down on her lip hard. He wasn't thinking. He didn't mean any of what he was saying. He didn't mean it.

"Maybe you should go," Liam grumbled, throwing himself back on the bed and burying himself in the pillows and blankets.

Eleanor paused, watching him disappear out of her sight. She understood he was angry and frustrated. She understood everything up until the proposal. He was taking advantage of her and didn't even see it that way. To him, she was just a pawn in his game. She wasn't his girlfriend anymore. She was his next trick.

"If I go-" she found herself saying, wincing at her own voice, "then I'm not coming back."

She waited for him to appear from underneath the blankets, plead with her not go, tell her that he was being stupid, but he didn't move. Instead, the seconds passed by and nothing happened.

He didn't move.

He didn't tell her not to go.

So, she took a step back and found the doorknob, fumbling and shaking as she turned it with her outstretched hand.

Eleanor couldn't wait to exit the pub. Closing her eyes, she tried to forget everything in order to apparate to her doorstep, but her mind was racing and she hurried home on foot instead.

With her arms wound tightly around her stomach, she took one step and then another. She almost expected him to be following her, but the street was quiet (even for London in the middle of the night).

There they were.

The tears.

Choking them back, her mind wandered back to 6th year when Liam was trying to convince her to begin their relationship. She had tried telling him that when they broke up, it would destroy everything they had. Back then, she had thought then that Liam would be the one to break up with her.

Eleanor never thought it would be her decision to throw away the best thing she ever had.

* * *

Not really a happy chapter. There was a proposal though, so...no, still an unhappy chapter.

Will there ever be happiness in their lives again? Will I kill off a character before they have the chance to get together again? :D

Thanks for reading!


	54. The Mistake

_Eleanor,_

He meant to continue, but lately, her name had the effect of a curse that made him incapable of coherent thought. Instead, Liam sighed and put down the quill, stuffing it back behind in his dresser drawer. It wasn't like he was going to finish a letter. The stack of parchment next to him, crumpled, torn, and ruined, all began the same way – _Eleanor, I'm an idiot, I don't know what I was thinking, I was wrong, you were right as always – _and ended up in the trash, ink blots blurring the unfinished sentences.

He stood, turning away abruptly from the desk to glance out of the window. Down below, people were hustling around, most of them struggling to pitch a massive tent, the others carrying around food and refreshments. Although Conner and Olivia's wedding was a quiet event, Mrs. Pritchard was determined to throw a reception big enough to hide the fact the wedding was a surprise to all.

Just a few hours ago, Liam was down there trying to help her, but he was immediately banished from the backyard when he murmured that the whole thing was a stupid idea and it only encouraged Conner's behavior.

He _tried _to put on a smile. He _tried _to make it look like he cared, but he just _didn't_. There was nothing down there for him anyway. He didn't want to be a part of the reception that celebrated his brother's union to a girl he barely knew. And he didn't want to celebrate the end of his relationship to Eleanor.

Although Liam wanted to blame Conner for everything, he knew it was partly his own fault. He wasn't in his right mind that night. If he had been, he would have pleaded for Eleanor not to leave, apologized, given _anything_ to make her stay. But instead, he just let her leave and stayed immobile, hidden underneath the sheets.

Liam went to sit back down and slammed his knee into the desk.

"Bad luck, huh?"

Gritting his teeth, Liam turned slowly to see Conner grinning at him. His brother was only half-dressed – a tie still hung loosely around his neck and belt unbuckled. Obviously, Conner was here to mock him, but Liam was still going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"What are you doing here?" Liam managed to ask, taking in a slow breath to calm himself. There were so many other things Conner could be doing – getting ready for his "big day" for example.

Conner's grin widened. "I'm here to tell you to stop moping and get downstairs-"

"Mum told me to stay here," Liam was quick to retort, pushing his chair in and slamming his hands down on his desk to make his point. Conner wasn't going to give up until Liam was fed up and angry. If that was what Conner wanted, then Liam could give it to him.

Liam expected Conner to make a quick joke and leave, but instead, his brother only crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Ah, but I thought you'd want to go downstairs."

His tone made Liam pause. Conner was up to something and it wasn't his normal fare. "What did you do?"

Conner's lips curved upward in that familiar Pritchard smirk. "_I _didn't do anything. But, you see, Olivia wanted to invite her friends to the reception, you know and, in addition to her best friends, she wanted a certain other school friend to come-"

"You _didn't_-"

"I told you, I didn't do anything. _Olivia_ was the one who invited her and you know what? She's actually been here awhile helping Olivia with the arrangements and all, but you didn't notice because you've just been moping around in your room-"

_Eleanor was here_.

Liam's breath caught in his throat and he made a mad rush past Conner and down the staircase.

"And I'm pretty sure she still hates you, you know!" Liam heard Conner call after him, but Liam didn't dare stop and contradict him. After all, Conner could be right. Eleanor could hate him forever and want nothing to do with him. But it didn't hurt to try to apologize, to see her, to make her understand that he knew he was an idiot and he shouldn't have tried to force marriage on her.

There was a crowd in the kitchen and it took several tries to maneuver around the bustling group. The living room was almost empty except for the passing traffic. At least fifty people were wandering around outside, waiting for the reception to start.

"Mum!" Liam caught sight of the first familiar person.

His mother barely glanced at him. "Are you done acting up, Liam Finn?"

"I wasn't-" he began, but quickly decided that it was not the right time to argue, "I mean, have you seen Eleanor? Conner says she's here."

She still didn't look at him, but said shortly, "No, I'm sorry."

"Really?"

For some reason, that made his mum's eyes snap to his. "Stop your whining, Liam or you're going back upstairs."

Liam bit back a sarcastic remark and rushed away before his mother could convince him into helping with the reception.

Even though it wasn't as crowded outside, Liam took another half an hour searching the grounds for any sign of Eleanor. He half expected her to be hiding from the festivities in a secluded corner but even after a thorough search of the best hiding places, she was still nowhere to be found.

Dragging his feet, Liam made his way back to the reception tent and groaned, falling down in a chair decorated with the tackiest crepe paper.

Conner was lying.

Conner only told him Eleanor was invited to get him out of his room.

Conner was _the worst brother in the world – _muggle and wizarding world combined.

Grabbing the crepe paper in his hands, Liam began to furiously tear it apart into tiny pieces, all the while glaring at the happy people surrounding him. Some of them scampered away, giving him quick frightened looks. The others ignored him.

Since it was only a reception, Olivia bounded out of the house without much fanfare. She did have an entire gaggle of girls following her, most of them giggling loudly and attracting the attention of the other guests.

Liam only caught a short glimpse of Olivia's "wedding dress" (the short, blindingly white party dress was nothing like any wedding dress Liam had seen before) before his eyes wandered to the back of her group of friends.

It _wasn't_-

Squinting his eyes, Liam leaned forward in his chair and wondered if his sight was playing tricks on him. It couldn't be her. It _looked_ like her at this distance but, at the same time, it _wasn't_.

The girl at the back of the group had Eleanor's curls, but they weren't the right color. Eleanor's curls were a medium blonde – not a foreign dark auburn. But as Liam kept staring, it became evident that it _was _Eleanor.

It was her face. Her eyes. Her tiny smile.

She looked almost awkward as she walked behind the giggling girls, completely silent. Her hands kept moving to smooth down the skirt of her light blue dress – a telltale sign of Eleanor's nervousness. Liam's eyes followed Eleanor all the way down to the table for the friends of the "bride," oblivious to the rest of the crowd.

Then he heard the clicking of heels and turned to see Olivia making her way over to him with a bright smile.

"Like it?" She cocked her head toward Eleanor and Liam didn't move to look. He already seen enough to cause this confusion, this guilt, this clawing pain in his chest that he knew had to do with heartbreak but he really didn't care for the sappy terms.

When Liam didn't answer, Olivia continued, "I decided to celebrate my marriage in the best way I knew how. _Style therapy!" _Liam's eyes narrowed at the girl who was practically jumping up and down in front of him. "You're upset and I understand that, but think about what it did to her, Liam. She needed something to get her mind off of you. She wouldn't let me cut her hair even when I explained that there are charms to grow it back. However, she did agree to a temporary change of color. Not much of a dramatic change, but I think it works for her."

"It's just hair," Liam finally said, quite stupidly.

At the mention of hair, Olivia's hands went up to make sure her complicated ponytail was still in place. "Oh, Liam, Liam, Liam," she chastised, leaning forward to tut in his face before turning on her heel and walking back to her "girls."

His hands found the edge of his seat and he gripped it hard. Liam wanted to confront Eleanor, but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to walk up and start a conversation in front of Olivia's friends. Tucking his feet underneath the chair, he decided to wait and see if Eleanor would come over to him.

It was the worst decision he ever made.

Eleanor did not come over to him. Instead, she kept to the other side of the tent, next to the stage where the band was setting up. Although Olivia insisted on a magical band (The Raving Ashwinders was one of her favorites), Conner wanted his favorite muggle band – Shining Abbey – to perform. It escalated into a huge fight (probably not their first either) and then, almost as if nothing happened, a quick makeup. Liam expected this to be a daily thing.

Because a muggle band was playing, all sorts of magic was banned. Olivia had already broken that rule with her "style therapy." Liam was sure many of the other guests were performing magic under the tables, unable to stand the muggle way to do things.

Eleanor wasn't with Olivia's group anymore. She wandered toward the stage where the four band members were plugging in their instruments. The one standing between the keyboard and a guitar immediately crouched to talk to her.

Liam couldn't see his face, but it didn't matter. He could already imagine the suave, debonair manner of the mystery man. He could imagine him sweeping Eleanor off her feet and-

His fingers scraped into the chair and he relaxed his grip, taking in a deep breath. They weren't together anymore. It was completely normal for them to pursue other relationships. It was expected of them to move on. Eleanor would probably marry someone else – some other man who was better for her – and then they'd live happily ever after.

But Liam didn't want that. He didn't want to see her with another man. He _couldn't _see her with anyone but himself.

It was selfish. It was wrong and Liam knew that. But he was also positive he was right.

That familiar jealousy was pulling at his chest but Liam managed to look away and concentrate on the ground. If he couldn't see them...

There was suddenly a loud screech of feedback and then someone greeting the guests over a microphone. "Hello everyone! We're Shining Abbey and I'm Jared Miller-"

Liam's gaze snapped up to see one of his friends standing on the stage, guitar resting across his chest. It was Jared the entire time. He was talking to Eleanor. One of his best friends was in a muggle band, playing his brother's wedding reception and he was talking to Eleanor in a completely platonic way and she wasn't falling for another man and living a different happily ever after-

Letting out a shaky breath, Liam watched as Jared stepped back to begin their first song. He tried to listen to the music, but his eyes were following Eleanor again. She was giving Jared a small smile as he played background guitar.

Liam could have been jealous, but nothing stirred inside of him. Instead, he leaned back and waited for the right moment.

After five songs, a couple girls rushed by him, chatting about the upcoming event – a bouquet toss. Liam wrinkled his nose. He always thought the tradition was senseless. His sister-in-law, Lindsay, had also agreed as there was no bouquet toss at her wedding. Liam should have known that it would have been the first thing on the agenda at Olivia's reception.

Eleanor tried to hide in the back, but Olivia pulled her to the front, one hand dragging Eleanor along and the other clutching the bouquet as if it were her lifeline.

Rolling his eyes, Liam tried to look away but his curiosity got the best of him when all of the girls started screaming. He glanced over and saw Eleanor standing in the middle of the group, her wide eyes staring at the bouquet in her hands.

Eleanor had caught the bouquet.

Liam bit down on his lip as Olivia started squealing, jumping up and down again. He was sure he imagined it, but Liam could have sworn Eleanor glanced over, catching his eye before turning back to Olivia and shaking her head. When Olivia wouldn't take it back, Eleanor tried to give it to the person next to her but they all just giggled.

His fingers loosened their grip and, without thinking it through, Liam made his way over to the the group of girls. Most of their eyes were on him before he was in speaking distance. Eleanor was too busy trying to give away the bouquet to notice.

"It's only a bouquet, Eleanor," Liam was surprised when his voice came out quite strong.

She didn't even look him in the eye. Instead, she thrust the flowers back into Olivia's hands who actually stepped back. "It's a stupid tradition. I don't want to be a part of it," she murmured.

"It's not like everyone is going to expect us to get-" Liam began and then paused when Eleanor physically turned away from him, "married," he then emphasized, watching her flinch.

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he _could _say that would make Eleanor stay and not run away, but he tried anyway. "Listen, it was a mistake and I don't mean to turn you off of marriage or anything-"

"I don't want to get married."

He flinched himself and then said, "I'm sorry for rushing you into this."

"No, I don't want to get married. Not ever," she added, finally looking up to meet his gaze.

Liam had to pause to think for a moment. She didn't want to get _married? _Why wouldn't she want to get married? He always thought in the back of his mind that their relationship was going to end there at some point and all this time, she didn't even want it?

"Ever?" Liam choked out.

She shook her head, hands playing nervously with her skirt again. "It's just too much work and too much heartache. With Conner and Olivia, it just made your mother so upset-" Liam didn't dare look around him. "And your parents-"

"Don't," Liam cut in, sudden anger burning in his throat. "We're nothing like them."

Eleanor's gaze was strong but her voice was weaker. "Statistically-"

Liam tried to ignore his frustration, but he couldn't help his voice from raising. "Don't bring numbers into it."

"But that's what I do," Eleanor exclaimed. "That's how I am! And I don't want to get married anymore."

"Did you ever?" Liam asked, unable to ignore the questions clouding his mind. "Where did you see this relationship going? Nowhere? We were just going to sit around and hold hands for the rest of our lives?"

"Liam-" Eleanor interrupted, but Liam ignored her.

"I mean, I know you're not comfortable with children but it's not as if-"

"I was waiting for you to change my mind about marriage!" Eleanor's voice was suddenly louder than his and he was drowned out for once. "I was beginning to think it would be okay but now, after that night, I just don't think-"

"It was a _mistake, _Eleanor!" He didn't know how many more times he could say it.

Eleanor shook her head and tangled her fingers in her darker hair, messing up her curls. "I think it was a sign."

"A sign?" Liam could have laughed. "A sign not to marry me?"

Eleanor took in a slow breath and then nodded. "Yes, it was a sign that we want different things-"

Liam's mouth dropped open as Eleanor continued to babble about their differing views and then he finally responded, "I want you and I thought you wanted me."

"But it's more than that, Liam."

"It's everything," he tried again and then added, "I love you-"

"Don't."

"And I would've chased after you that night but I wasn't thinking-"

"Stop."

"I was _wrong, _so wrong. Why can't you see that?" Liam sighed, shutting his eyes tight to get rid of the black dots blurring his vision, "And it wasn't a dumb sign; it was me being a bloody idiot!"

Her hand enclosed around his wrist and his gaze locked with hers. Her mouth was set in a hard line and her eyes were quite glassy. He hadn't seen any tears, but he knew she had been close to crying. She teetered for a second, her mouth opening and closing and came the mumbled words: "we need to take a break."

Liam didn't hesitate to respond. "I don't want to."

She was still watching him carefully, her gaze strong. "I need it."

"You don't," he tried to convince her. "You love me."

Then she looked down, releasing her grip on his wrist. "I really don't know anymore."

It was the perfect moment to break into a passionate speech about his love for her. It was the perfect moment to lead her away from the guest watching their argument and talk in a calm and professional manner. But Eleanor didn't want any of that. She bit her top lip and after another glance at Liam, hurried back up to the house and out of sight.

Shutting his eyes from the stares of the guests, Liam still couldn't block out their whispers. He disappeared from the reception quickly, but he knew his relationship would be the talk of the night.

* * *

Yesss, I updated! It took me awhile (I got quite busy) but I finally managed to sit down and write out this chapter. I'm not sure when the next one will be out since I have a lot to do this semester (I'm graduating college in December) but I'll try to update as soon as possible.

Thanks for sticking with me!


	55. Unwanted Birthday

"Eleanor!"

Eleanor nervously continued to gather her things, grabbing the first and second books in the pile next to her bed and hastily stuffing them in her bag. Her fingers shook as she pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail; she had to look somewhat pulled together.

"Eleanor!"

Turning toward the door, Eleanor paused. There she was. Her mother was standing in the doorway, glaring and trying to catch her breath from running up the stairs.

"I'm going to work," Eleanor managed to say as she adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

"Eleanor-" She wondered how many times her mother could say her name like that. "It's your birthday. You are _not _going into work."

"I'm scheduled-"

Her mother actually scoffed in response. Eleanor winced and braced herself for the chastisement. "You and I know very well that Phoebe doesn't schedule you. You come in when you want which, lately, had been everyday – from open to close – and I know she isn't paying you for all those hours. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

She had heard all of this before. The yelling, the confusion, the worry. Even though Eleanor tried to explain over and over that there was no reason for any distress, her mother would _not_ stop chastising her. She was just trying to take some responsibility and gain some knowledge about the outside world instead of staying indoors all summer. There was nothing wrong with that.

"I'm trying to take responsibility-"

It was the excuse that always started an argument. Eleanor didn't understand; if she was a mother, she would have been proud to have a daughter taking charge so early in her life.

"Eleanor." There was her name again. "Why don't I take you somewhere for dinner? Your father won't be home until late. We can use this as a girl's night out – just you and me."

Eleanor began to fiddle with her bag strap. For a moment, she actually considered it – a nice, enjoyable dinner with her mother where she could laugh for once. But then it came back – that dull pain in her chest that made her struggle to take in a breath. With a violent shake her head, Eleanor finally replied, "I promised Phoebe I'd be there today. Maybe another day?"

"I'm sure she'd let you take the day off."

It was true, but Eleanor didn't want to ask. "I can't – I'm sorry -"

"Eleanor Susan Bennett!"

The full name. Eleanor bit down on her lip and tried not to blink. "I know you don't want hear this but since that boy broke up with you-"

'I broke up with him,' Eleanor wanted to say but her throat closed up.

"-you've been closing yourself off. I barely see you anymore. You spend all your time sleeping and working. Are you even eating?"

"I'm _fine_," Eleanor insisted. She hated the burning in her chest, rising up to her throat. She couldn't _breathe_ like this.

"Eleanor, did that boy hurt you?"

It took awhile to remember how to take in a deep breath and calm herself to answer. "It was my idea to take a break. He didn't do anything."

She didn't know why she defended him. He _had _hurt her by using her and not even realizing it. Maybe she didn't want to allow her mother the pleasure of believing she was right the entire time; Liam _wasn't_ like that. He wasn't the horrible monster her mother always envisioned.

He really was the most amazing person she'd ever known.

Eleanor glanced up to see her mother staring at her expectantly. "I - I really need to go," Eleanor muttered, clutching onto her bag and hurrying through the doorway. She felt her mother try to grab her hand, but Eleanor slipped out of her grasp and fled down the stairs.

It was completely rude of her and she should have talked to her mother. But she _couldn't_. She couldn't sit down and tell her mother everything. She couldn't give her the chance to talk about what happened with Liam. She didn't want to talk – _think_ about it ever again.

Instead of apparating to Diagon Alley, Eleanor hurried down the London streets, pushing through the crowd. Her head was swimming; she couldn't concentrate long enough to apparate if she wanted to and she definitely didn't want to celebrate her birthday by splinching herself.

It wasn't very long before Eleanor found herself standing in front of Obscurus Books. It was still early; the cobbled streets were barely occupied and Eleanor couldn't see anybody in the shop. She contemplated knocking on the door (just in case the Bishops were out), but then she saw Phoebe walk by the back door.

She still had time to walk away, enjoy her birthday in a cafe, maybe disappear into one of the stationary stores, spend all day reading and buying new quills and parchment. It was her _birthday – _her specialday – she deserved it.

But she couldn't. It was impossible. With a sigh, Eleanor turned the doorknob and walked into the tiny shop instead.

Phoebe immediately looked over at the sound of the bells on the door. "Eleanor, you're early!"

Putting on her best smile, Eleanor managed a surprisingly chipper, "there's nowhere I'd rather be" in response.

"Eleanor! Eleanor!" Two sets of hands immediately grabbed onto her, pulling her across the floor. Although Eleanor was always hesitant around children, it was different with Stella and Abigail. Eleanor didn't mind babysitting them during her off-hours at work.

"What book today?" Eleanor asked, turning around to look at the shelf behind her. It was filled with every book Stella and Abigail thought was "pretty" or "interesting." They had already managed to get through eleven books this summer since Stella and Abigail insisted on reading one every time Eleanor was in the store.

Stella stood on her tiptoes, scanning the shelf quickly. "The blue one."

"Yeah, the one about the lonely hippogriff!" Abigail pointed at the book, too short to see the shelf clearly.

They immediately scrambled to sit on the rug, sitting cross-legged with eager smiles. Eleanor took her time, picking the book off the shelf and flipping through it. It wasn't that long – filled with mostly pictures and large print.

"Okay," Eleanor began, sitting in the large rocking chair in the alcove. "The Lonely Hippogriff. There was once a hippogriff who was blue and gold. He had many friends where he lived-" Although Eleanor kept reading, she wasn't paying any attention to the words. She was reading without thought, letting her mind wander and forget the story.

It was sunny outside. She could see people walking past the shop with icecream cones in their hands, books in their bags, smiles on their faces. People who were having a great time on August 11th –_her _day.

Was this her definition of fun now? She liked reading. She liked work. She liked Stella and Abigail. Maybe this really was her fun.

"Hey, hey, Eleanor!" Stella's voice interrupted her thoughts. Eleanor looked down and realized that she hadn't turned the page for awhile. "What are you looking at?"  
Abigail climbed into the window seat next to Eleanor and then she pressed her nose against the glass. "There's something flying toward us!"

It looked like a dark-feathered owl, but Eleanor wasn't sure at this distance. It was probably just a business owl for Phoebe, although those usually flew toward the back of the shop.

"I think it's for you!" Stella exclaimed, pushing open the window. After a few seconds, the owl swooped in and dropped a letter and a package into Eleanor's lap. "Told you!" Stella beamed at her and then noticed the package. "Ooo, you got something! Can I open it for you?"

"Yeah, I want to help too!" Abigail chimed in.

But Eleanor was too busy staring at the letter to respond. There was her name – Eleanor Bennett – written in neat cursive on the front of the letter, but it didn't make any sense. The cursive wasn't familiar. She had no one to send her any packages – at least at this address. Why didn't they just send the package to her house?

The owl began ruffling its feathers, probably waiting for a treat. It must have attracted Phoebe's attention, but she peered out from behind a bookshelf. "Oh, Eleanor, did you get something?"

But Eleanor couldn't force herself to speak. Instead, she opened the letter and unfolded the parchment slowly.

_Eleanor_,

_Happy birthday! I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever – it's been, what, like a month or something? I don't even know; everything's been wonderful with Conner, so I haven't been able to keep track. But anyway, I don't know how long I have to write this letter since I never get a single moment of peace, so I'm writing to you because I found a letter that you might be interested in._

_ He didn't finish it. I'm pretty sure he had no idea what to say and probably lost his nerve halfway through writing it, but he still bought you a present and started the letter, so I'm sending it for him. Maybe he'll thank me. (Probably not.)_

_ I hope it makes you smile anyway._

_ Your friend,_

_ Olivia_

Olivia wrote her message on the back of Liam's letter, so Eleanor turned the piece of parchment over. His words were short and his handwriting was surprisingly neat.

_Eleanor,_

_ I bought you a birthday present. I always thought we'd explore the world together. I understand_

And that was it. Eleanor glanced up to see Stella and Abigail opening the box, but she didn't have the heart to tell them to stop. Instead, she watched them as they pulled out a necklace.

"Someone got you a necklace!" Stella held it up and it caught the light.

It was a gold chain with a small globe dangling on its end. Stella handed it to Eleanor and she took it, placing the globe in her palm. The globe was so tiny, but Eleanor could find every country accurately represented on its surface. Her fingers curled over it, half expecting it to do something, even though it was a muggle piece of jewelry. Nothing. It was just a pretty necklace that didn't mean anything anymore.

"Oh, that's very pretty." Phoebe was standing next to them now. Eleanor didn't look up. She couldn't look at anyone. "What's the present for?"

At least she didn't ask who it was from.

She couldn't answer that.

"It's my birthday," Eleanor mumbled.

There was a gasp. Eleanor glanced up to see Phoebe smiling at her. "Eleanor, why didn't you tell me it was your birthday? You shouldn't be here!"

She had to be here. She couldn't be anywhere else – not _now_.

"No, I like it here. I wanted to be here," Eleanor tried to argue, but Phoebe was shaking her head. Eleanor knew she was fighting a losing battle.

"Go and enjoy your birthday, Eleanor! We're fine here."

Phoebe thought she was doing Eleanor a favor, but it was anything but. Eleanor turned her gaze away from Phoebe to find Stella and Abigail transfixed with the necklace in her hands. She wanted to say it wasn't that big of a deal, but she couldn't.

She was frozen.

"Eleanor, as your boss, I demand that you go out and buy some quills or an icecream or something. Here. I have some sickles for you."

She said it so lightly, but Eleanor felt like she was being sentenced to her death. Something was being pressed into her palm and then she was being ushered toward the door.

"Have a great day!" Phoebe exclaimed and then shut Eleanor out of the shop. Like it was a good thing. Like Eleanor wanted to be outside.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Eleanor blinked, glancing around. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe she just needed to have one day of no responsibilities and then she could remember how to have fun like a normal 18-year-old.

Placing the necklace in her pocket, she took a few steps away from the store. She had the whole day to herself. She didn't need to do anything for anyone. It was all about _her _today.

She was surprised that she was actually smiling. It wasn't a full smile, but it was _something_.

Then she saw him.

At first, she was sure she was hallucinating. It couldn't be him – she just wanted to see him so badly that her mind was playing tricks on her. But she furiously blinked her eyes and he was still there, standing by the Qudditch shop with Conner. He wouldn't go away no matter what she did.

Eleanor thought about yelling his name, getting his attention somehow, but then her heart began hammering painfully.

His gaze moved away from the window and turned in her direction. Panicking, Eleanor flattened herself against the brick wall of the building behind her.

Liam was the closest he'd been in a month.

And she couldn't even say hello.

* * *

So, I'm going to do this thing where I'm going to be posting around five chapters before Christmas. It's because I want to post the Christmas chapter on Christmas and it's still a couple chapters away.

Hopefully, you'll be seeing many chapters from me!

Thanks for reading!


	56. Going Out

He knew it was Olivia's birthday. He couldn't escape it, really, with her nonstop chattering the past week. She never mentioned inviting him to her festivities (which included a night at the pub in Athy with "a couple of her friends") but it must have been some unspoken thing, because she was at his door, knocking incessantly.

"Liam! You're coming with us!"

He contemplated hiding in his bedroom, but curiosity got the best of him.

"Why do you want me to go?" he asked, throwing open his door. Olivia was swinging on the steps, hands holding onto the railing behind her. She was completely overdressed – short black dress, teased hair, and bright makeup. Liam blinked a couple times to hide his look of surprise.

She grinned. "Don't you want to go?" And then she dropped her gaze, twirling her hair around her finger. "My friends will be there."

Liam frowned. "What are you doing?"

Olivia glanced up at him through her lashes. "It's my birthday and I want you to be there."

"No, seriously, what are you trying to do?" Since marrying his brother, Olivia started treating Liam more like a person than an obsession, but now it seemed like she was reverting back to her old self.

Olivia smiled again. "I have no ulterior motives."

She was _definitely _planning something. "Why do you want me to go to your party?"

"I'm the birthday girl," Olivia said, avoiding his question. "Get dressed. We're leaving in ten minutes." She turned to walk down the stairs, but then whirled back around at the last minute. "Oh, and do try to look nice. We're going out and you never know who will be there."

She was an idiot if she – she couldn't – she would never -

She _wouldn't_ try to invite Eleanor.

But she would. She invited Eleanor to her wedding reception to meddle and now, she was going to make sure Eleanor would be at her birthday party to do the same thing.

Liam couldn't go.

He managed to push one of the sidetables in front of the door before she started knocking again. "I'm not going!" Liam said, putting his weight on the table. She couldn't come in if he barricaded her only entrance.

The doorknob turned and he could feel Olivia putting her entire weight on the door. "What did you do, Liam?" she asked, but he didn't answer. He just pushed back to ensure she couldn't get in. It never worked with his brothers (they were always stronger and bigger than him) but maybe he could win this one time-

"Did you forget you're a wizard?" Liam cringed and turned around to see Olivia standing in the middle of his room. "Oh, and I'm a witch. How about that?"

"I used to barricade my door against Sean and Conner," he tried to explain himself, but Olivia started laughing.

"Why couldn't you just _lock the door?_"

Liam knew he was blushing. It wasn't his fault this started when he was so young and he didn't know what magic was. "I'm not going," he repeated himself instead.

Olivia just shook her head and walked over to him. "You are going." She began to smooth down the collar of his shirt. "You might want to change though. Why don't you wear that one blue button-down?" She pulled away to rummage through his dresser.

"What are you doing?" Liam yelped, crossing the room to stop her.

"I honestly don't expect to find anything surprising in here, Liam," Olivia exclaimed, finding the shirt in the bottom drawer. "I'm married to Conner. Anything you have won't scare me."

"I'm not worried about _that_," he struggled to say, but he was interrupted by Olivia throwing the shirt into his hands.

"Now, you can change, or I can change your shirt for you. Pick."

He immediately took a step back, watching Olivia unblinkingly. She smiled back at him and he moved quickly to change his shirt.

Luckily, Olivia didn't make a big deal out of it. Instead, she tilted her head to the side after he changed and then she took out her wand. "There," she exclaimed and he looked down to see the wrinkles gone. "You look presentable, but _when _are you going to cut your hair?"

"Conner's hair is longer than mine," he automatically answered.

"And it looks good on him," Olivia said, "But yours just looks like you don't care."

Liam rolled his eyes. "I don't care about my hair."

Then Olivia stood on her tiptoes and started running her hands through his hair. Liam tried to pull back but she actually growled at him. "I mean, it looks better when you _try_ to mess it up. There is something wrong with your hair."

"It's fine," Liam argued.

Olivia laughed. "Cut it soon."

He wanted to continue arguing with her, but he really didn't have the energy, so he let it drop. Olivia couldn't say anything anyway because loud footsteps on the stairs interrupted them. It was obvious who it was by just the sound. "Hey!" Conner shouted through the door. "We were supposed to leave five minutes ago!"

"Liam doesn't want to go," Olivia said with a pout. Liam stopped himself from rolling his eyes this time.

"Why is this door locked?" Conner started pushing the door open. Without Liam there, the sidetable moved easily. "Oh, you barricaded the door again?"

Liam scowled. "Get out."

"He doesn't want to go, Liv. Why don't we just leave without him?"

Olivia turned and gave Conner what Liam could only describe as a "death glare." Conner hesitated and then looked over at Liam. "Hey, Liam, Olivia really wants you to go."

"I'm not going," Liam repeated.

Olivia sighed and then looked at Conner again. There wasn't any hesitation this time. "Sean! I need your help!"

-x-

Liam tapped his foot nervously against the barstool. After Sean and Conner dragged Liam out of the house, they forced him into the local pub. And Liam couldn't just leave; he felt like he needed to babysit his family. They weren't just drinking – they were getting completely smashed.

"Come on, Liam. Live a little!" Conner shouted as he passed by.

It wasn't as if Liam wasn't drinking at all. He had a drink in front of him, but it wasn't even remotely enough to make him lose his inhibitions – like everyone else.

Liam watched with a grimace as Olivia and Conner tried to dance together. It wasn't pretty. Even Sean and Lindsay were partaking in the festivities. It seemed like Olivia's birthday wish was one big drunken party.

He couldn't see Eleanor in this situation. She would feel too awkward. She wouldn't like all of the people.

But that didn't stop Liam from looking for her. Olivia hinted that she might come, right? And when Olivia had her sights set on something, she made sure she could get it to happen.

"Who are you looking for?" Olivia slid into the seat next to him, that grin on her face again.

Liam shrugged. "You said someone might be here."

She started giggling and then said, "Oh, Liam. Can't you see I'm trying to set you up?"

He thought about revealing that he knew it was Eleanor, but he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he gave her a look in return.

"I mean, I know you're still torn up about Eleanor but I think you need to explore new things, you know. You need distractions and you need to learn."

"Learn what?" It was a stupid question because Olivia was too drunk to answer properly. Instead, she stood her head for longer than necessary and then said, "Liam, Liam, oh Liam. I decided to find you a distraction!"

He was never going to understand. Olivia sighed at his confusion and then scrambled off of the stool. "I'll be back. Don't you dare move."

He wasn't planning on it.

Surprisingly, Olivia was true to her word. She came back within two minutes, dragging along one of her friends. It wasn't Eleanor. This girl looked like she was taller than Eleanor, but that might have just been her high heels. She was also brunette – almost the exact hair color as Liam's – and it looked like she had dark eyes, but Liam couldn't really tell from all of the dark makeup on her face.

"This is Isolde. She was in Gryffindor with me," Olivia exclaimed with a proud smile.

"Hello, Liam," Isolde greeted him, holding out her hand.

Liam glanced at Olivia first, who immediately frowned at him, her eyes darting down to Isolde's hand. "Hi, Isolde," he said, watching out of the corner of his eye to see Olivia's frown turn back into a smile.

"I'll just leave you two alone." And, just like that, Olivia skipped off.

Liam didn't know what to do. He couldn't just talk to girls; he was horrible at making conversation. Where was he supposed to start? Was he supposed to introduce himself? Tell her his hobbies?

"Uh, I like muggle bands like Journey," he blurted out.

Isolde stared at him and then laughed. "That's nice."

He could feel the awkward tension and wanted nothing more than to get out of there, but that would be rude. Also, he didn't want to run away and give his brothers reason to laugh at him for the next couple weeks.

"Are you okay? You look sick," Isolde said suddenly.

Liam wouldn't be surprised if he was turning white. He could see his knuckles turning white as he gripped the counter. "Yeah, I'm good," he managed to say.

"Listen." He watched as Isolde grabbed his white-knuckled hand. His eyes widened. "I heard about you and Eleanor. Olivia told me everything. And it's okay to move on. You don't have to push everyone away."

Liam was too busy staring at his hand to listen to her. She was _touching_ him.

"I know you don't want to hear that, but I promise, it gets easier. I've had my fair share of break-ups too and I've learned that I don't need to throw myself in every single relationship. I've learned how to have fun and enjoy myself. You can do that too, Liam."

He curled his fingers and Isolde let go of him. What was he supposed to _say_? Liam was fine with the way things were. He didn't need to find fun.

"I know that it's a lot to handle. Just forget about everything for a night. Do you want to dance with me?"

Olivia must have put Isolde up to this. Maybe even paid her. He knew that Olivia liked to meddle, but this was a bit much. He didn't want to dance with a girl he barely knew. He wanted to stay in his bedroom, away from people. He was good at that.

Isolde laughed lightly. "Can you say something, Liam?"

He glanced up, really looking at her for the first time. She was actually quite pretty and he found himself at a loss for words.

Isolde must have noticed because she took the opportunity and leaned forward, pressing her lips to Liam's. It was different and strange and Liam was surprised at the way his body reacted. It was like a sudden thrill, something unexpected and new.

He was surprised because he liked it.

"Sorry," Isolde immediately exclaimed as she pulled away, "But I just wanted to see you speechless for the right reasons."

"That's okay," he finally said.

And he meant it.

And he kind of wanted to kiss her again.

Just to see if there was that same thrill.

There was.

* * *

I guess I'm keeping to my word and actually writing. Awesome.

So, I actually like this chapter even though it's not very good for Liam and Eleanor. We'll see where it goes. (Happiness? Psh, what's that?)

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	57. Redundant Thoughts

Shortly after her birthday, Eleanor figured out she couldn't avoid her parents forever. Her mother made sure of that by storming into her work and demanding to know why Eleanor was allowed so many hours. It was as if she was going out of her way to ruin all of Eleanor's ways of escaping. No more lock on her bedroom door, no more extra hours at Obscurus Books, and more chores around the house.

At first, it was torture.

But then the torture began to turn into something else.

It wasn't fun yet. It was something in between – a sort of tolerance for her free time. She learned how to fill it with things she liked – reading, learning, and even shopping.

She _liked_ shopping. She never liked shopping before. It was always something she did out of necessity but, after she gained free time, it was something that filled her free time and made her _happy_.

Of course, she couldn't let her mother know that.

"Eleanor!"

"You're just in time." Eleanor placed the last book on the shelf and turned to see Suzanne standing behind her.

One of her mother's new rules was "invite new friends over." Eleanor quickly found a loophole in that one; she invited Suzanne to shop in Diagon Alley instead of allowing her over to her house. It worked well enough; although her mother wasn't able to meet Suzanne, it fulfilled the "rule." She also tried to invite Jared to their outing, but he wasn't too keen after he heard the word "shopping."

"Where are we going?" Suzanne asked, after Eleanor said her goodbyes to Phoebe.

Eleanor shrugged, grabbing her coat off of the hanger. "I don't know. The sun is actually out for once though. How about we just walk about Diagon Alley?"

It could have been awkward, but it wasn't. They walked down the street, making conversation about everything from the weather ("It been quite cold lately!") to the displays in the store windows ("Do they really think they're going to sell that broomstick for that many galleons?"). Suzanne didn't mention Eleanor's relationship status and, for that, Eleanor was eternally grateful.

"We should try on some robes!" Suzanne suddenly exclaimed, grabbing onto Eleanor and dragging her into Madam Malkin's. Eleanor had never been in the shop to buy anything other than school robes and she didn't know where to start.

"You need to try this on. It matches your eyes."

Suzanne held out a shimmering green robe. It wasn't like anything they wore at school; it was much fancier and probably much too expensive. "I can't afford-"

"You still have to try it on!" Suzanne pleaded with Eleanor.

Eleanor laughed at the look on Suzanne's face. "Fine. But only if you try on something too."

"Okay, but you first."

Madam Malkin immediately scurried over and, before Eleanor could say anything, the older lady slipped the robe over her head and pinned it to the right size.

"See. It looks amazing on you," Suzanne commented.

"Quite," the mirror on the opposite side of the room agreed.

Madam Malkin smiled, gathering Eleanor's hair and pulling it back to see the robe more closely. "And it matches your lovely necklace."

Eleanor froze.

After receiving the necklace for her birthday, Eleanor vowed she would never wear it. She looked at it and remembered the end of their relationship – the hurt, the betrayal, the loss. Then it started to remind her of their friendship and Eleanor felt like she was justified to wear it.

Just to remember him.

Remember the good times.

So, she never took it off. It was always there, right out of her vision, but she could feel it.

"T-thanks," Eleanor finally managed to say. She could see it now – the blue-green globe hanging in front of her collar bone, blending in quite nicely with the robe she was wearing. It looked like it meant to be there.

"Ooh, that's very pretty," Suzanne exclaimed, stepping forward to look at the necklace.

Eleanor felt suffocated.

"It's just a necklace," Eleanor forced herself to say and, with trembling fingers, placed it underneath her shirt.

She wondered briefly if the necklace was cursed because, when she glanced in the mirror again, she swore she saw a familiar figure walk past the window.

"Suzanne," Eleanor said shakily, turning around to make sure. He was out of sight now and Eleanor had to scramble to the window.

"What is it?" Suzanne asked, following her over to the front of the shop. Madam Malkin was probably giving them strange looks, but that was the last thing on Eleanor's mind.

She wasn't seeing things.

Liam was walking down the cobbled street with some _girl_. Holding her hand. Laughing at something she was saying.

Eleanor watched with wide eyes as he continued to walk down the street. In a few seconds, he would be out of her sight and she wouldn't have to worry about him.

But then she was pulling the door open and Madam Malkin was yelling after her as she stepped out of the store.

"Liam Pritchard!"

She heard Suzanne inhale sharply behind her.

She felt Madam Malkin gently coaxing her back in the store.

And she saw Liam turn around and acknowledge her for the first time in months.

It was too much. Eleanor immediately turned around and hid back in the store, but it was too late. Liam and that girl were standing in front of the shop and he was peering in.

Suzanne gave Eleanor a long look before pulling open the door. "Hello, Liam."

"Hi, Suzanne," he said slowly, clearly confused. Eleanor winced, trying to hide behind a mannequin. "Eleanor."

She bit down on her lip hard and refused to look at him. "Liam."

"Oh, bloody _hell_, is it going to be like this now?" Suzanne sighed and then pulled on Eleanor's arm. "Come on, Eleanor, let's try on more robes."

"This is Isolde," Liam spoke up. Eleanor let out a shaky breath and then glanced over at him. He was still holding onto that girl's hand. She was smiling at Eleanor, as if nothing was wrong. "She's-"

He didn't have to finish that sentence for Eleanor to know.

Eleanor stared, wide-eyed, at the pretty, tall girl next to Liam. Eleanor felt like she was supposed to glare at her or say something rude, but she didn't really want to start anything. She just wanted out.

However, the girl, Isolde, had different ideas. "Eleanor, is it?" She gave Eleanor another smile, holding out her hand. Eleanor didn't take it. "I'm one of Olivia's friends. You know Olivia, right?"

Eleanor should have nodded, but she didn't.

"My sister-in-law," Liam said and then Eleanor's attention was focused on him. He was watching her carefully as if he was inspecting her every move.

"I know," Eleanor finally proclaimed, her eyes never leaving Liam's gaze.

Isolde must have sensed the tension because she immediately spoke up. "That's a pretty necklace. It really matches your robes."

Eleanor's hand shot up to clutch the chain. It must have gotten snagged on the robe and pulled back into sight.

"How did you get that?" Liam asked.

Not "you're wearing my necklace?" or even "why are you wearing my necklace?". Just a "how did you get that?". He didn't want her to see it. He didn't want his necklace around her neck. It wasn't meant for her anymore.

"Here." Surprisingly, her shaking hands were able to pull apart the clasp. "Take your stupid necklace. Isolde can wear it." She forced it into his palm.

He didn't even say anything. His fingers curled over the necklace and he stared at her with wide eyes. Isolde's face was blank. Eleanor didn't have to turn around to know that Suzanne was staring at her incredulously.

Eleanor didn't want to wait for his response. She shrugged off the robe, handing it back to Madam Malkin and, without a second look, ran out of the shop. She concentrated on walking until she was around the corner and then it was the breathing. In, out, in, out.

"Eleanor! There you are!" Suzanne appeared from around the corner, holding onto Eleanor's belongings. "You forgot your coat and bag."

Shaking her head, Eleanor leaned against the building. "He has a girlfriend," she said softly.

Suzanne paused, moving to stand beside Eleanor. "It looks like it."

"He has a _girlfriend_," Eleanor repeated.

It sounded so wrong.

"Eleanor." Eleanor could hear that note of sympathy.

"A _girlfriend_, Suzanne." Eleanor pulled herself off of the wall and ran her hands through her hair. "He's with another girl. Some pretty girl named Isolde and he's holding hands with her and probably snogging her and-"

Suzanne opened her mouth to say something, but Eleanor shook her head violently. "I _know_ I should be over it by now, Suzanne. I know he was bound to move on and I should move on too. But-" Eleanor clasped her hands over her mouth and shut her eyes tight.

Her voice was getting weaker. It hurt to breathe.

Oh god, she was going to _cry _again.

"I love him and he's moved on," she whispered, opening her eyes. "I pushed him away and now I can't get him back." She felt Suzanne try to pull her in for a hug, but Eleanor didn't move to embrace her. Instead, she just stood there and murmured, "I love him and he's gone" over and over.

* * *

Will I ever have a happy chapter?

No.

Never.

You're stuck with these instead.

But we're getting closer to the Christmas chapter. There's one more chapter after this one and then it's Christmas. Yay!

Once again, thanks for reading!


	58. The Necklace

Liam didn't waste any time. As soon as he was back home, he barged upstairs and threw open the door to Conner's room. It was always an unspoken rule to knock – just in case he walked into something he didn't want to see – but he didn't care at the moment.

Conner wasn't even there.

"Mum!"

"Liam, keep your voice down."

"Where's Conner?" Liam yelled and then winced when his mother started yelling back at him.

"Liam, I told you to keep your voice down!"

He wasn't going to get anywhere like this. With a loud sigh, Liam mumbled a "sorry" and shut Conner's door behind him quietly. He waited a few seconds and then ran down the stairs to see Conner sitting at the dining table.

"Did you send Eleanor the necklace?" Liam immediately questioned before Conner even noticed him.

His brother didn't answer. He just raised an eyebrow in Liam's direction and continued chewing his cereal. Liam grew increasingly more frustrated as Conner stared back him with his mouth full of food.

"No," Conner finally said, spitting bits of cereal everywhere.

Liam narrowed his eyes. He could tell Conner was lying; after all, who else had access to his belongings? "Tell the truth, Conner," Liam said slowly. Maybe he tried to be nice about it-

"I didn't touch any necklace," Conner responded and then his eyes grew large, "Wait, so Eleanor has a necklace of yours? You have a necklace? Why do you have a necklace?"

"Conner!" Liam interrupted him, but his brother would not stop asking questions.

"How do you know Eleanor has your necklace?" Conner put a huge spoonful of cereal into his mouth and continued to talk, "Did you see her? What were you doing seeing her?"

Liam sighed and sat down across from Conner. "I just want to know how Eleanor got my necklace-"

Conner snorted into his food and Liam wrinkled his nose. "Easy answer: Olivia."

Why didn't he think of her before? It made sense: Olivia liked to meddle, especially with things concerning him. Liam let his head fall onto the table with a groan.

"She tends to do things like this," Conner said with a shrug, "It'll be okay."

Liam glanced up to give his brother an exasperated look. "What will be okay? My relationship with Eleanor? Doubt it."

Conner paused to continue eating, nodding every so often to keep Liam's attention. "Okay," he finally said after a minute, "Tell your big brother all about your big, bad problems. And go."

Liam didn't really want to tell him anything, but he had to tell someone. And, although Conner wasn't the best listener, he was _someone_. "I bought Eleanor a necklace for her birthday, but it was before we broke up, so I tried sending it and I knew I couldn't. However-"

"Olivia sent it for you. I understand," Conner cut in.

Liam blinked. "Yeah. She must have sent it because, when I was in Diagon Alley with Isolde, I saw Eleanor wearing it."

Conner nodded. "Ooh, so girlfriend met ex-girlfriend. Nice."

Rolling his eyes, Liam added, "And when I asked her how she got the necklace, she got angry and threw it at me. _Why _did Olivia send her that necklace?"

Not surprisingly, Conner continued to eat his cereal before responding. "I think you're asking yourself the wrong question," he finally said, putting down his spoon and folding his hands in front of him.

"What should I be asking then?" He was frustrated again. Why couldn't he just get answers instead of more questions?

Conner grinned. "She was wearing your neckace."

"I _know_," Liam exclaimed, "We went over this. Isolde was the one to point out her necklace-" He stopped, exhaling sharply. "Why was she wearing my necklace?"

"And that would be the _correct _question. Good job, little brother."

Eleanor was wearing his necklace. Even if Olivia sent it to her, she didn't have to wear it. It was her decision to wear it. Eleanor made a conscious decision to wear a necklace he had bought for her. Now, nothing made sense.

"But why would she wear it? She doesn't love me anymore. She can't even stand the sight of me. It seems like every time she sees me, she just... runs away."

Conner actually laughed. "Is she really running away at the sight of you?"

But Liam couldn't find the joke in it. He groaned again, hitting his forehead against the table a couple times. "It's not funny. She won't talk to me anymore. "

He thought Conner was still laughing or maybe even making fun of him, but when Liam lifted up his head, his brother's face was serious. "Well, maybe she misses her best friend."

For a second, it gave Liam hope. She was wearing his necklace because she _missed_ him. Eleanor _missed _him. She obviously still felt something if she was wearing his necklace.

But that hope quickly shattered as he remembered. "Not anymore," he said, blinking furiously, "She gave it back."

And, for once, Conner didn't have a witty retort.

-x-

Liam tried to avoid Isolde for as long as he could. He didn't want to deal with the consequences of the inevitable "Eleanor situation" conversation. He wondered if Isolde would be jealous; she knew all about his relationship with Eleanor, but it had never been a problem before.

But, after an entire week of ignoring her, Liam began to feel awful. Isolde was probably waiting for an explanation and he couldn't keep her hanging anymore.

He offered to meet her in London to talk and then it was done. He was dooming himself to his fate.

When he arrived, Isolde wasn't there. He waited for a couple minutes, kicking the pebbles on the ground and watching the leaves fall from the trees. It was quiet for a day in the heart of London, but it was an early weekday morning.

He was kicking along a large pebble when she arrived; he knew when he heard the click of her heels against the sidewalk.

"Do you want to talk about last week?" she immediately asked before he had the chance to say hello.

He hesitated, stuffing his hands into his pockets. What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to explain himself? Where could he even start?

"Listen, Liam." She gave him a small smile. It must have been his wide-eyed expression that amused her. He didn't find it funny; it was nerve-wracking. "You don't have to explain anything. We're not in an exclusive relationship. It doesn't bother me."

She took his arm and started to lead him up the road. He couldn't find his voice to respond. She was _okay _with it. Why was she so indifferent about the situation?

Liam watched his breath come out in uneven puffs to distract himself.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" she said, breaking the silence.

"It isn't-"

"It is." Isolde stepped in front of him, flashing that smile again. He didn't understand. Was everything okay? Why was she smiling at him? "Liam, I really like you, but-"

He winced.

"Don't do that," Isolde exclaimed, her smile dropping slightly, "I'm not breaking your heart. It's not with me; it's elsewhere."

"You're breaking up with me and your justification is that I shouldn't care?" Liam asked incredulously.

She laughed. Just like how Conner was laughing at him last week. "I'm breaking up with you because I'm in the way of what you really want."

Liam shook his head violently. "No." He reached for her hand and thankfully, she didn't pull away. "You're not in the way of anything. After all, we're just having fun, right?"

Isolde curled her fingers around his and squeezed. "I don't think this is fun for you anymore." Liam started to argue, but she continued, "Actually, I don't think it was ever fun for you. You're not really the type for an open relationship-"

"Isolde, it's just new for me. I'm not used to it and-"

"You never react to my advances. You always pull away when we're snogging." She shrugged and dropped his hand. "And, at first, I understood that you just got out of a committed relationship and you were hesitant, but it hasn't changed."

She was right; it was uncomfortable for him, but it was a process. He was still getting used to her. He was still getting used to how she never hesitated, never needed a moment, never second guessed anything.

Isolde wasn't Eleanor and he needed some time to remember that. "It's just – it's a process-" he tried to explain, but Isolde shook her head.

"You need to tell Eleanor that you're still in love with her."

He blanched. "No, I can't do that-"

"Liam." Isolde took both of his hands. "Listen to me. Even if she's not in love with you anymore, you have to try something, _anything_ just to get close to her. You were happy with her, right?" He nodded slowly and she smiled. "Then try. Even if she just wants to be friends, take anything you can get."

"If she just wants to be friends, why can't we continue this?"

"Because you call it "this" like you wish it was an actual relationship," Isolde was quick to respond.

Liam knew being friends with Eleanor was better than nothing, but he was still unsure. He couldn't ignore how he felt about her.

It would be like torture.

"Besides," Isolde suddenly added, "Olivia told me that she wants to see you and Eleanor together in the end."

Liam's eyed widened as he put two and two together. "This was all some dumb scheme, wasn't it?" he murmured. Leave it to Olivia to meddle.

"Possibly," Isolde replied.

He wanted to hate Olivia for sending that necklace. He should have hated Olivia for meddling in his love life. But instead, he just smiled and decided that sending a Howler would be efficient.

He wouldn't be cruel. Maybe he'd even thank her.

* * *

It's another short chapter, but we're almost to Christmas! I can't promise that the Christmas chapter will be mind-blowing, but I'll try to write something interesting (maybe even happy).

Thank you everyone for reviewing and reading! You're all wonderful.


	59. Christmas Party

When Eleanor received the first invitation, she discarded it immediately. Then came the second and third and forth. By the fifth invitation, Eleanor knew she didn't have a choice and wrote her response:

_Olivia,_

_ I will be attending your Christmas party on December 20__th__. Thank you for inviting me. I shall see you soon._

_ Eleanor_

Maybe she shouldn't have given in so easily. Maybe she should have faked sick and avoided Olivia for the rest of the holidays. But she couldn't do that to Olivia. They were friends now and it would be rude not to go.

After all, it was just one little Christmas party. It couldn't be _that_ bad.

And that was why Eleanor was standing in front of a large row of houses, shivering into her coat. Olivia's "directions" to the party contained an apparating spot and the words "my house will be the large brick one on the left." There was just a slight problem; all of the houses on the left looked the same.

Eleanor started to pace back and forth anxiously, mentally cataloging her options. She could wait for another guest to arrive, but she didn't know how long that would take. The only other options were guessing the correct house or calling for help, but neither seemed productive. Eleanor shivered and flexed her fingers – they were already numb. She couldn't wait for long.

She was still weighing her options (would Olivia be that disappointed if she just went home and curled up under her comforter?) when she heard voices behind her.

"Shh, they'll hear us."

"Like they can hear us over that awful Christmas droning."

Actually, it sounded like-

"Olivia?"

There was a long pause and then she heard, "Eleanor, is that you?"

Eleanor nodded, forgetting that Olivia couldn't see her. "Yes, it's me."

There was the crunch of snow and finally, she could see Olivia making her way through a snow bank next to one of the similar large, brick houses. "What are you doing out here? It's completely freezing; you're going to catch a cold."

"Then what are you doing outside?" Eleanor responded without hesitation.

She noticed Olivia's hair was falling out of its bun and her cheeks were flushed. "Conner and I just wanted to get away for a bit."

Eleanor's eyes widened. "The Pritchards are here?" Her eyes strained to see in the dark and, after a few seconds, she managed to find Conner standing by the front steps.

"Of course." Olivia grinned at the look on Eleanor's face. "Don't worry. I told Liam to behave."

Liam.

He was _inside_.

And Eleanor couldn't run away this time. Olivia would make sure of that.

"Come on. Let's get you inside," Olivia said, ignoring Eleanor's silence. "We need to get you warmed up. You're turning white."

Eleanor doubted it was because of the temperature.

Olivia lead Eleanor up the steps and Conner followed them into the house. As soon as the door opened, the music started blaring. Olivia must have used pretty strong soundproof charms to avoid complaints from the neighbors.

There had to be at least a hundred people mingling around. Some were dancing, others conversing and eating, and some decided to lead a sing-a-long to one of the Christmas carols playing. It was complete madness and Eleanor was beginning to feel a little dizzy.

"It's my parents' Christmas party," Olivia was explaining as they made their way through the crowd, "They just let me invite my friends over every year. They don't even notice if I disappear for awhile-" She turned to smile at Conner. "And this is where I leave you. I have...some things to do and I'll be right back." Before Eleanor could complain, Olivia grabbed Conner's arm and they hurried off.

Eleanor blinked and stared at the group in front of her.

Sean. Lindsay. Liam.

They hadn't noticed her yet. It was too busy and loud for them to notice the girl staring at them through the crowd.

"Oh, Eleanor!" Olivia appeared again, leaning close to Eleanor's ear so she wouldn't have to yell. "I almost forget to tell you. Liam and Isolde broke up." Eleanor turned to say something but she got tongue-tied and just stared, speechless at Olivia's smiling face. "I just thought you should know," Olivia added before disappearing back in the crowd.

Eleanor took in a deep breath and turned back toward the Pritchards.

They were talking amongst themselves, smiling and laughing about something. Maybe a joke. Maybe a story. Eleanor knew she could find out by just walking over there, but her legs wouldn't work correctly. She was frozen.

Liam wasn't with Isolde anymore.

The thought made Eleanor's stomach churn, but it wasn't unpleasant.

She saw Sean's gaze stop in her direction and then he was saying something to Liam and Lindsay. Then everyone was looking at her.

Eleanor bit down on her lip as she met Liam's gaze. He looked almost perplexed, as if he didn't expect to see her. Maybe he thought she was going to run away again. Eleanor watched as he said something to his brother and then he began to make his way over to her.

It was hard to breathe when her heart was beating so fast and loud.

"Hello," Liam said first, giving her a small smile.

She tried to smile in return. "Hello, Liam." His name sounded strange like she wasn't used to saying it. She used to say it everyday.

She didn't know what to say next. Should she ask him about his holidays? About work? About his family? Liam must have been having the same problems because he fell silent too.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he suddenly said with that half-smile again. "I can get you something."

Eleanor didn't know how to respond properly, so she just nodded.

He nodded in return and then walked back in the crowd. Eleanor ignored his brother and sister-in-law watching her and raised a hand to her forehead, turning away to breathe. She couldn't do this. She couldn't just talk to him like nothing happened. She couldn't pretend everything was okay.

Leaning slightly to the right, she could see him across the room. His back was to her as he waited in line to get drinks. She almost wanted to catch his gaze again, just to see his smile.

"Eleanor. Long time, no see!" Sean's voice broke her thoughts. In Liam's absence, Sean and Lindsay moved over to stand by Eleanor.

It was surprisingly difficult to turn away from watching Liam. "Nice to see you both."

Sean gave her one of those Pritchard smiles. "I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see you again." Eleanor was immensely glad when Lindsay elbowed him for that comment. "I mean, I knew since – you know, since you and Liam-"

Eleanor wanted to interrupt, but she couldn't find anything to say. Luckily, Lindsay cut in. "Eleanor, I love your dress."

Picking at one of the loose threads, Eleanor replied, "Thank you. I really liked the crochet pattern." It was a cream dress with a classic silhouette – not exactly Christmas-y but pretty nevertheless.

"Here you go."

Eleanor looked over to see Liam standing next to her, holding out a glass of red punch. "Thanks," she said, taking the glass and accidentally brushing Liam's fingers. Instead of pulling back, he let her linger for what seemed like a long period of time, but it was probably only a few seconds. No one else noticed.

"How's your holidays been?" Liam started the conversation. Eleanor could have laughed at his generic topic, but she kept a straight face.

"Okay," Eleanor said, "I've actually been waiting for them to end. It's entirely too busy at work right now."

"You work retail, right?" Sean exclaimed. Eleanor almost forgot they were still there, listening in their conversation. She wondered what they thought about the situation.

With a nod, Eleanor said, "I work at a book store."

Sean gave her a strange look. "That many people buy books for Christmas?"

Lindsay swatted him again and Eleanor smiled. "How's Graham?"

"A handful," Sean immediately answered. "He's always getting into things and causing problems."

"That's only because you let him wander all over the house," Lindsay chastised him.

Liam rolled his eyes and Eleanor bit down on her lip to stop herself from smiling. It was almost as if nothing happened between them – just _almost_ though.

Eleanor went to say something about Conner and Olivia's absence when she spotted them stringing up decorations. Standing to the side of the room, Conner was pointing out places throughout the room while Olivia used magic to strategically decorate with sprigs of mistletoe.

Including right above Eleanor.

She _knew_ they would try something stupid ever since Olivia pointed out Liam was single, but Eleanor had to admit: this was Olivia's worst idea yet.

"Is that mistletoe?" Sean must have been in on it too. If he hadn't said anything, then Eleanor could have just calmly walked away. But then Liam looked up and saw the sprig above them.

"Oh," he said. One syllable. Not even a "oh yes, that would be mistletoe." Just an "oh."

"Guess you'll just have to kiss now," Eleanor heard Sean say.

Eleanor didn't turn to look at anyone else. Her attention was focused on Liam now. He paused, looking over at his brothers before turning back to Eleanor.

Was he going to kiss her in front of all of these people?

Did he still like her?

Did he want to?

She could have sworn she saw him leaning closer. Eleanor knew she should have closed her eyes, but she was too distracted by how close he was. She almost forgot how the color of his eyes, the curve of his lips, everything about him. She held her breath as he got closer and closer.

Then suddenly, he was moving away.

"I'm sorry, Eleanor," he murmured and he shut his eyes with a shake of his head. "I don't want-" he struggled to say.

'Don't want what?' Eleanor almost asked in hysterics, but Liam suddenly bolted, pushing his way through the crowd and disappearing from her sight.

"That didn't work," she heard Sean tell Lindsay and then he was trying to say something to her, but she wasn't listening.

Liam was the one to run away this time. They had the chance to kiss again and he let his cowardice get the best of him. She had a _reason_ to kiss him without explaining herself. She could kiss him just _because_.

Eleanor's breath came out in a sharp gasp and she rushed after him, ignoring the grumbles of the other guests. Then she saw him, trying to escape through the front door, but she was quicker.

"Liam Pritchard!"

She was going to get that kiss.

He paused and then hesitantly turned to face her. He stumbled over saying something that sounded like an apology, but Eleanor didn't care.

She strode over to him and, ignoring his wide-eyed expression, grabbed his shirt to pull him down to her level. He didn't resist and she took it as compliance, leaning up on her toes to kiss him.

It was as if nothing changed. Liam responded by pulling her closer and she smiled, deepening the kiss. Letting go of his shirt, she wound her arms around his neck and leaned forward. She could feel his hand on her back, a familiar embrace that made her catch her breath.

"Eleanor," Liam breathed, pulling back just enough to speak.

Eleanor shook her head, tilting her head to kiss him once again. It was short this time, just a little more than a peck and then she sighed, pulling away from the embrace. Her hands shook as she let go.

She didn't want to look at him.

He sounded confused. Frightened. Maybe even put-off.

So, Eleanor did the only thing she could think of. "It's just a kiss," she explained, glancing up at him.

He blinked back at her, his lips slightly parted.

Eleanor was sure he was going to run again.

"Just a kiss," he then agreed, almost breathlessly.

Eleanor let out a breath of relief. She nodded, biting down on her lip again. It wasn't what she wanted, but it was better than nothing.

* * *

Christmas chapter on Christmas! I did it!

So, here's the Christmas chapter and it's not that depressing for once. Maybe I decided to get into the Christmas spirit (and the next chapter will be really sad).

Thanks for reading!


	60. New Years

"And then she told me it was just a kiss," Liam finished.

It was the morning after the Christmas party where, right after Liam ambled his way down the stairs, he was pulled aside by Sean and Conner for a "brotherly chat." It turned into Liam spilling everything; after all, they saw Eleanor run after him. He couldn't say nothing happened.

There was a short pause. Liam eyed his brothers, sitting backward with his chin resting against the back of the chair. It was probably a horrible decision to tell them everything, but he needed someone to help him make sense of it and Sean and Conner had a lot of experience with relationships.

"Just a kiss?" Conner finally scoffed, rolling his eyes. "She ran after you, practically mauled you, and then said it was nothing? What's _wrong _with her?"

Liam turned his head, resting his cheek against the cool wood of the chair. "There's nothing wrong with her. She was probably confused-"

"Confused and mental," Conner muttered.

"Hey," Sean cut in, throwing a disapproving look at Conner. "She's not mental." He turned to Liam. "She was the one to break up with you, right?"

Liam lifted up his head slowly. "Only because I was an idiot and tried to propose to her-"

"Which turned out _so _well," Conner added. Both Sean and Liam glared at him this time and he raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine, no more jokes. I'll be _serious_ from now on."

Liam paused, watching Conner's expression turn blank before continuing, "I was angry at Conner because he went off and married Olivia, so I thought I had to propose to Eleanor." Conner opened his mouth, but surprisingly, stopped himself from saying anything. "I should have known she wouldn't react favorably, but I took it too far. I guess I made her see our relationship as a long-term commitment – marriage and children and all that. And it scared her, of course it would, so she decided she couldn't stay with me."

"So," Sean spoke slowly, "you two broke up while she still harbored all these feelings for you-"

Liam shrugged and leaned back, stretching his arms. "Feelings don't just disappear on a whim. I did something stupid so she forgot about her own feelings and did what she thought was best. I'm pretty sure she didn't decide that moment that she didn't love me anymore."

"That's it then," Sean proclaimed, "Eleanor's still in love with you."

"But she told me it was just a kiss. She _kissed_ me and then acted like it was nothing. If she still loves me, why would she do that?"

"You two are friends," Conner spoke up and Liam braced himself for a sarcastic answer. "And she loves you, so when the opportunity rises, she takes the chance to be a little more than friends without any consequences."

Liam blinked. His brother was _actually_ making sense. There was just one problem. "But – but we're not really friends anymore."

Conner just gave him a half-shrug. "She wore that necklace, remember? I think she wants to be friends. Especially after Olivia's party."

Liam looked over at Sean to see him hesitate before saying, "Well, Liam, Conner's right." Conner grinned at the praise, leaning casually back in his chair. "She doesn't hate you. She definitely wants something to happen and it might be-"

"Sean!" Lindsay's voice interrupted their conversation.

"It might be something –" Sean tried to continue, but Lindsay called for him again and her tone was more urgent. Sean sighed and yelled back, "Okay, Lindsay, I'm coming!"

"Never mind, I'm already here." Liam turned around as Lindsay entered the dining room, holding a squirming Graham. "Can you watch Graham while Olivia and I go down to the store?" She then paused and took in the scene in front of her. "What are you doing in here?"

"They're just giving me some advice," Liam explained which caused Lindsay to erupt into a fit of laughter. Sean scowled in response.

"You're serious?" she asked, an amused smile on her face, "You're letting them tell you how to fix your relationship with Eleanor-"

"I didn't say we were talking about Eleanor," Liam tried to say.

"Oh, right," she said teasingly and Liam sighed, burying his face in his arms again. "Okay, well, Olivia and I are going to take over from here, boys," he heard Lindsay exclaim and peeked out from under his arm to see Olivia entering the room with a grin. Great. "Out. Sean, take Graham."

"No, no, no!" Graham protested as Sean took him from Lindsay.

Lindsay and Olivia waited a few seconds as everyone exited the room before saying anything. Liam watched them warily, ready for the onslaught of "Eleanor this, Eleanor that."

"Okay, Liam," Lindsay finally exclaimed, "I know that you've been preoccupied with Eleanor ever since Isolde broke up with you."

Liam groaned. He didn't want to tell Lindsay and Olivia his problems. Sean and Conner already knew and he didn't want _everyone_ to know he couldn't figure out his own love life – or rather, lack of one. However, it was already too late and he'd probably get a better insight from Lindsay and Olivia anyway. "I guess," he murmured.

"You still love her. It's easy to see that," Olivia added, "But with Eleanor, she's horrible at expressing her feelings. She tries to hide them instead."

"She kissed me though."

Olivia tried to hide her smile, but failed miserably. "I was going to ask about last night, but you were a little..._preoccupied," _Olivia repeated Lindsay's word with a smirk. Lindsay and Olivia shared that same smile – the famous Pritchard smirk. They learned it so quickly.

"And then said it was just a kiss."

Olivia snorted. "Typical Eleanor behavior."

"And now I don't know what to do. Do I wait for her to say something? Will she say anything if she's just going to keep hiding her feelings? Or do I play her little game and pretend that it was nothing?" The questions tumbled out of his mouth although Liam was positive he knew the answer: Eleanor would just hide all of her feelings forever.

"Talk to her. Make her talk about what going on between the two of you," Lindsay supplied an answer, "And make sure she doesn't change the subject."

Talking.

Liam winced.

Making Eleanor talk about her feelings was almost an impossible task.

"What if she doesn't want to talk? What if she avoids me for months again?"

"Liam, you know her better than anyone," Olivia exclaimed, "You've been her best friend for seven years. You know what to say."

He wanted to believe that, but just the thought of talking to Eleanor made him anxious.

"You'll figure out something." Lindsay tilted her head down so she could meet his gaze. He glanced up warily. "I'm having a small party for New Year's Eve. Invite her."

Liam knew what Lindsay was implying, but he wasn't going to argue with her. He needed to see Eleanor. He needed to tell her how he felt before it was too late.

So, with a slight nod, he agreed.

-x-

"Take this."

Conner tried to press a drink into Liam's hand, but he wouldn't take it. It was Conner's fifth try to get Liam to drink and every time, Liam refused only to have Conner take the drink instead. If Liam was going to actually talk to Eleanor, he couldn't be completely out of it. He needed to be sober and well.

"I can't," Liam tried explaining again.

Conner sighed. "Little brother, why won't you accept my help? You're going to need all the courage you can get."

"I want to remember tonight, Conner," Liam replied quickly, leaning over to see the front door. Eleanor was running _late_. Maybe she changed her mind. She did agree to his invitation rather quickly; she probably realized she never wanted to come.

Conner shrugged. "More for me, I guess." Liam watched as his brother took a long drink and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Someone's at the door."

Almost as if on cue, the doorbell rang. Liam raised an eyebrow at Conner and then turned away to see Lindsay opening the door with a greeting. "Eleanor! How nice of you to come!"

And then she stepped to the side and Liam glimpsed Eleanor briefly, handing her coat to Lindsay. "Thank you, Lindsay," he heard her say.

Eleanor was here.

She decided to come.

She accepted his invitation.

_Accepted_ it.

Liam failed to hide his smile, causing Conner to notice and laugh into his drink. "You're hopeless, Liam," he said, "All she has to do is walk in the room and you turn into – _damn_." Conner slowly lowered his drink, his eyes fixated across the room.

Expecting to see Olivia as the cause of Conner's distraction, Liam sighed and waited a moment before following his brother's gaze. And then his eyes widened.

He was wrong.

It was not Olivia.

"Bloody hell," Liam murmured, his mouth left slightly open. He couldn't even – his Eleanor wouldn't – this was -

"_Damn_," Conner repeated and then turned away to smirk at Liam. "I'd elaborate but I feel like you'd-" Without thinking, Liam jabbed Conner in the stomach with his elbow. "-hit me," the older brother gasped, doubling over.

Liam couldn't tear his gaze away. She was almost unrecognizable, wearing a short, silver dress that hugged to her every curve and bared an _obscene_ amount of skin. And, when she turned around, Liam could see the complete expanse of her back.

His breath caught in his chest.

"_Merlin._" This time, it wasn't Conner. Liam blinked and managed to look away for a brief moment to see Conner had disappeared and, instead, Olivia was standing next to him, her eyes on Eleanor.

"It was you," Liam realized, turning back to see Eleanor say something to Lindsay and brush her hair out of her face. Her curls were loose and pulled to one side, drawing the focus to her neck. Liam bit down on his tongue and then added, "You gave her a...makeover or something."

"I wish I could take credit for this," Olivia answered. "But this is all her." She paused and then pulled on his arm to whisper, "For you."

Liam shook his head. "No. She-" He couldn't find the words to respond. With Eleanor in front of him, he couldn't think straight.

"Say something," Olivia urged, pushing him lightly, but he didn't budge. How was he supposed to greet her? He couldn't even look at her without getting tongue-tied.

"I'm just going – going to stay here right now," Liam said, leaning back against the wall. He couldn't talk to Eleanor just yet. He needed to figure out what he was going to say; if he said the wrong thing, it could ruin everything.

Olivia rolled her eyes, but gave him an encouraging smile as she went to find Conner.

Surprisingly, Eleanor didn't greet Liam straight away. Instead, she got distracted by Lindsay and then Conner and Olivia. They talked to her for awhile and Liam watched from the wall.

Conner was right: Liam was lacking courage. All he had to do was walk right over there and join their group, but he kept hesitating, busying himself with snacks and drinks. The entire time, he kept his eyes on Eleanor, watching as she conversed with his family.

He finally gathered enough courage when Eleanor slipped away from his family and disappeared outside.

"It's almost midnight. Where's she go-" Before he could finish, Olivia smacked him on the arm. "Ow, why are you hitting me?"

"You're an idiot!" Olivia cried. "You've been watching her from a distance the entire night. You need to _talk_ to her, not gawk at her."

"I am going to-"

"Go. _Now_." Olivia kept pushing him, putting her entire weight into it. "Don't come back in until you tell the poor girl that you're still in love with her."

"She _knows_," Liam exclaimed, holding his ground as Olivia continued to lean into him.

Olivia laughed. "I don't think she does."

With a steadying sigh, Liam straightened and pulled open the door. He tried to ignore the encouraging looks from his family as he stepped out into the cool air. "Eleanor?"

She was standing on the edge of the patio and turned almost immediately. "Hello, Liam," she greeted him with a smile. It didn't seem forced and gave Liam hope.

"It's freezing out here. Aren't you cold?" She shook her head but Liam was already shrugging off his jacket. "Here, take this."

Eleanor laughed. "Warming charm."

Liam felt his cheeks burn, but didn't comment. He only said, "oh" and put his jacket back on. _Say something, say something, say something_, he repeated as a mantra, but he couldn't remember how to speak.

Eleanor, on the other hand, didn't seem to have the same problem. She was still giving him that small smile as she stepped in front of him, perhaps waiting for him to make a move.

He couldn't stop staring at her – moving was the last thing on his mind.

"Liam," she started quietly.

"I missed you," he finally said, stumbling over each word.

She blinked a couple times and then said, "I missed you too. It's been so long...without my best friend." Her own words were hesitant and Liam wondered if she was worried about his reaction.

He just had to tell her-

"Eleanor, I-" Whatever he said was going to come with consequences. Maybe that was why Eleanor never spoke about her feelings. It was a good reason but, if silence wasn't going to lead to anything. Liam just needed to figure out how to tell her. "You know how my family tricked us with the mistletoe..." he began, swallowing to ignore the constriction in his throat.

Eleanor nodded slowly. "Yes."

"And I ran because I didn't know how to react with everyone there. It was just too much-"

"Yes," Eleanor cut in.

Liam reached out, grabbing one of her hands. She jumped; his hands were freezing compared to hers. She stared back at him with wide eyes. Why were her eyes so large? Was she scared about what he was going to say?

Or was she scared that she would have to break his heart?

Liam faintly heard the countdown in the background. There were only ten seconds left in the year. He had ten seconds before his family would come barging in on their moment – their ten second moment.

"Liam, what's wrong?" He noticed her voice was shaking. She was scared about ruining the relationship they were trying to rebuild.

He didn't have time to explain himself now.

Liam could hear the shouting.

The 3, 2, 1.

The celebration, the excitement, the jubilee – his heart skipped a beat and he didn't give himself time to second guess.

Without saying a word, Liam placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her up into a kiss. This time, it was Eleanor who hesitated before responding, her lips parting with a sharp gasp. Liam kept her there, his fingers curling into her hair. Then she lifted herself up on her toes, leaning into him with a soft sigh.

It lasted longer than the kiss during the Christmas party; whenever one of them pulled away, the other initiated the kiss again. And, when Liam heard the sound of the door opening, he ignored it.

That is until he found himself pulled away as Conner pushed through, kissing him loudly on the side of his head with a slurred, "HAPPY NEW YEAR, LITTLE BROTHER!"

Wiping the side of his face, Liam glanced over, expecting Eleanor to have disappeared already but she was still there. She quickly fell silent, but she didn't try to run.

Liam smiled softly. That was a bit of an improvement.

* * *

Happy New Year! This is my chapter for the occasion and from here out, I have no outline for this story, so I'm not sure when I'll update next.

Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Until next time.


	61. 31 Sorrys

It wasn't as though she was planning on avoiding him, but Eleanor thought it would be awhile before she saw Liam again.

After all, she needed time to figure out her feelings and she thought that it would be the same for him. There was so much to think about – implications, causes, consequences – that it made Eleanor's head spin. She knew she could figure out everything easily if she just sat down and thought about it for a long second, but since the New Years party, Eleanor hadn't had time to catch her breath. She was working long shifts during the day and coming home completely exhausted.

Although she wanted time to dedicate to the situation, there simply was none. Besides, it wasn't as if she expected to run into Liam any time soon. Standing straight, Eleanor hit her head on the shelf above her. With a wince, she rubbed her head and bit down on her lip hard. She wasn't one to start complaining, but she wanted to yell, scream, cry out in frustration just because she couldn't get a single moment to herself.

Eleanor roughly grabbed the closest book and moved it over to shift the new stock for display. Though Mrs. Bishop levitated merchandise, Eleanor refused; she thought that using magic would be too easy and she liked her work to be a distraction. The manual labor came to be expected and Eleanor never regretted that decision more than she did now.

It was quite difficult to concentrate on shifting books when her mind kept wanting to wander.

This was what she had: Liam was either still in love with her or he was using her. She didn't want to think of Liam using her, even if it could be true. She hadn't been his best friend for almost half of a year and there was the chance he could have changed drastically. He had that girlfriend. He lived a different life. He could just want her as a "snogging friend."

Eleanor wrinkled her nose. It just didn't sound right, but she didn't know where to begin with him. Of course, she wanted him to love her, but it probably wasn't that easy.

Standing on her tiptoes, Eleanor went to grab the book on the highest shelf and her foot found the edge of the step.

She could feel herself slipping and the ladder wobbling dangerously.

"Whoa!" A passerby immediately went to steady her, both hands grabbing onto the edge of the ladder. "Are you okay?"

"Fine - I'm fine – thank you - " A flustered Eleanor hurried to say, standing up straight and leaning over to grab more books. She couldn't look down with her cheeks turning bright red.

"Eleanor-"

She struggled not to step on the customer as she pulled books, stacking them at a rapid pace. The interaction probably gathered the attention of Mrs. Bishop and Eleanor didn't want her boss to see her slacking.

"Hey."

The person moved as if they were trying to catch her offguard and she stumbled, almost falling backward again. With a defeated sigh, Eleanor glanced down, momentarily knocked dizzy by the height.

It took awhile.

"Liam," she finally acknowledged him, her eyes wide.

He wasn't supposed to visit her without telling her first. He wasn't supposed to show up two days after the party before she could logically figure out their situation. She wasn't ready for him to standing right next to her.

"I thought you'd be working today," Liam started to say, "And I wanted to say hi-"

Eleanor blinked at his words. "You wanted to say hi? You came all the way to London to say hi?"

He gave her a smile, but Eleanor knew it was a bit forced.

That was definitely a point for just using her. Eleanor faltered with her own fake smile and tried to look impartial as he said, "Um, remember that pact we made on my seventeenth birthday? The one where we promised that we'd never miss each other's birthdays no matter what?"

She nodded, unsure where he was going with his story. It didn't help that her heart was beating wildly and her mind was going crazy with an endless string of "he came to see you, Liam is right there, Liam came to see you, you can touch him if you want to."

"Well, I guess I already screwed that up by missing your last birthday and you have every right to kick me out right now, but it's a new year and I thought we could start over. So, I came to see you."

Eleanor's legs were shaking as she moved to sit down on the ladder. She was face to face with him and could see the question etched in his expression. But what was he asking for? Her forgiveness? Their friendship back? A birthday pact when it wasn't even their birth-

January 2nd.

Eleanor took in a sharp breath.

"It's your birthday," she mouthed. Liam nodded in response, although she hadn't intended him to see. Surprisingly, he didn't look hurt. Just nervous.

She couldn't believe it. Instead of spending the day with his family, he chose to celebrate his birthday with _her _because he didn't want to break an old promise.

Point for still being in love with her?

Eleanor still wasn't sure. She wanted to know more, but he happened to walk in during the middle of her shift. "I'm working, Liam," she said softly.

He nodded quickly in response. "Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch with me. You know, if you haven't taken your break yet..."

"I haven't."

"Good." Liam leaned forward, hands finding the edge of the shelf to hold his weight. He was practically leaning over her and Eleanor glanced around to see if anyone was watching.

It had to look like an awfully intimate situation. It was making Eleanor's thoughts jumbled and she had to get out. "I'm going to check with Mrs. Bishop about my break," she exclaimed, climbing out from under his arms.

Mrs. Bishop was smiling brightly when Eleanor rounded the corner. "I'm guessing you have something to do with that boy coming in here," she said in a low voice, as if they were sharing a secret.

Eleanor couldn't help but chuckle. "Sort of. It's his birthday and-"

"Take an hour." Eleanor raised an eyebrow. She had never been given an hour for lunch before. "He came out here to see you, so the least I can do is give you some time with him. I would give you the rest of the day off, but there's the new shipment coming in-"

"An hour is great," Eleanor cut in. "It's more than enough. Thank you."

When Eleanor turned the corner, Liam was sitting where she had previously been. He hadn't realized she was back yet; his eyes were downcast and he was muttering something to himself, something he probably rehearsed or memorized.

Eleanor wondered if she ever saw him this nervous.

Maybe when visiting her parents.

He was definitely nervous around her, but Eleanor knew it could go either way. Being nervous didn't mean he was automatically in love with her.

"Where do you want to go? It's your birthday, after all," Eleanor spoke, catching Liam's attention.

His gaze fell onto her and he shrugged. "Maybe one of the cafes?"

They ended up choosing the closest cafe. It was immediately awkward; Liam kept his distance, making sure there was at least a meter between them at all times. It bothered Eleanor, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if she could think clearly if he tried touching her.

"So, how have you been?" Liam initiated the conversation after they ordered their food. Forced conversation – Eleanor wasn't sure where to put this. Was it for or against love? Was it just because he wanted friendship? She was getting dizzy from trying to figure out his every move and word.

"Uh-" She just had to think about this from a logical standpoint. There was nothing in his question that needed to be interpreted. "I've been okay. Lately, I've been working and-" But he knew all of that. He saw her just two days ago when he kissed her. _He _kissed _her_.

Did he want to know how she was after his kiss?

"I guess that's it," she finished, looking up at him through her eyelashes. He was watching her intently.

He definitely wanted to know about the kiss. Didn't he?

"Conner and Olivia have invaded my house," Liam spoke up, "And I know that doesn't sound bad, but they decided to take all the time they had to spend apart and make up for it during these past few days. It's completely horrible and I keep running in on them doing...things."

Eleanor had to stifle her laughter. "Traumatizing?"

"Yeah, and not funny in the slightest. What if you kept walking in on them and in the most innocent of places? The _stairs_, Eleanor. I was trying to walk upstairs and they were on the _stairs_."

"That's pretty awful," Eleanor agreed, and then couldn't help but add, "but at least it wasn't your own bedroom."

Liam scowled and then his expression changed into horror. "Oh Merlin, what if – if they -" He choked, making a gagging noise. "Thanks for that mental image."

Eleanor grinned. "You're welcome." It was becoming easier and easier to talk to him as they seemed to forget their situation and fall back in routine. He was just Liam – outgoing, sarcastic Liam – and she was Eleanor – quiet, logical Eleanor. Two fellow Ravenclaws, best friends-

But Eleanor didn't know where it stood from there. She was sure they were at least friends, even after the whole breakup during the summer. They were repairing something, yet Eleanor wasn't sure what it was.

"I want to show you something," Liam suddenly exclaimed, breaking Eleanor out of her reverie. She tilted her head at him. "And it's my birthday, so you can't say no."

"I wasn't going to," Eleanor said with a smile. "What is it?"

He shook his head with an amused expression. "I can't just tell you. It'd ruin the surprise."

"I don't understand why you're surprising me on _your_ birthday."

Liam looked like he was about to respond, but he was interrupted by the arrival of their food. He didn't comment on the surprise again all throughout their lunch, and Eleanor found herself hurrying to find out what it was. She didn't want to run out of time. He was much slower, spending most of the time watching her.

"Ready?" Eleanor asked after twenty minutes. Hopefully, she was finally going to get some answers. After all, she couldn't just _ask_. It was his birthday and if he didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to force him into it.

Talking was neither of their strongest points.

Eleanor couldn't take her eyes off of him as they walked out of the cafe. He looked somewhat nervous – that had to be a sign. He was walking closer to her – was he ready to finally open up? Or was it just because it was so cold outside and he was seeking warmth?

There were just too many factors for Eleanor to consider.

As they walked past all of the shops, she realized they were walking to the back of Diagon Alley where Ollivander's and the junk shop resided.

"Where are we going?" Eleanor finally asked, her voice muffled by the scarf around her neck.

Liam hesitated before answering, "Here, I guess. Just...away from everything."

Then she realized she was asking the wrong question. "_Why_ did you take me here, Liam?" _Why, why, why_? There were so many "why"s.

He rocked on his toes and took in a deep breath, all the while keeping his gaze on her. "Eleanor."

"Yes?"

His gaze dropped and then he reached out, his hand enclosing around the exposed part of her wrist. "Eleanor-" he tried again.

She glanced down at his hand on her skin. It suddenly felt too hot and her head was pounding. He was touching her.

With a jolt, she realized it was a special occasion – his _birthday_ – and every single time they kissed in the past month, it had been a _special occasion_. He was going to steal a kiss from her because it was his birthday.

He _expected _it.

"Stop." She wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "I can't think when you're touching me." She hadn't meant anything to be implied by her statement, but she could tell what Liam was thinking when his eyes widened.

"I just wanted to-" he began to stutter.

"You wanted what, Liam? It's your birthday, so I suppose you wanted to use it so you could kiss me because there's no consequences and you won't have to explain yourself, right? Well, I'm tired of that. I want answers. I want to know what you're thinking instead of dismissing everything as "just" something. Just a kiss. Just a moment."

"I'm not-"

"Not trying to take advantage of me? I guess not, since I initiated this whole snogging thing. And I know why I did, because I'm in love with you and I can't just ignore those feelings as much as I want to after this summer. But no matter how much I try to figure it out, I'm not sure why you want to kiss me. You could just want to kiss me because it's nice or you could-"

"Still be in love with you?"

Eleanor took in a shuddering breath. "Yes."

She thought his gaze was permanently transfixed on her until he finally looked down after a long moment. After reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a piece of folded parchment. "I wrote down 31 different ways to say "I'm sorry" just in case. I mean, when I thought about it, there were a lot of things to apologize for. Proposing, getting angry with you, not chasing after you, the argument at the reception, the lack of communication these past months – I wrote down sorry for everything. I brought you back here to say sorry 31 different times and then hope that you would realize that I still love you, so-"

He trailed off and Eleanor took his pause to take the parchment from him. They were all numbered, written in Liam's familiar scrawl with edits and ink blotches making it almost unreadable. He wasn't lying.

There were 31 sorrys right in front of her.

"I planned my whole birthday around telling you this, but I think you kind of stole my thunder by admitting it first."

"Admitting it," Eleanor repeated, her eyes meeting Liam's.

He gave her a tiny smile. "You said you're in love with me."

She glanced back down, reading the first sorry (1. I'm sorry that my proposal was out of selfish gain and not out of how much I want to be with you.). "I thought it was obvious," she said quietly.

"Don't you know nothing is obvious with you?" Liam replied jokingly.

(2. I'm sorry I yelled at you because I was angry at my brother. I never want to see that expression of dejection and hurt caused by my actions again.)

He touched her again, but this time she didn't move away. "I know it might not be enough, but I want to start somewhere. I understand if you want to go slow. Or, if you want to be friends-"

Eleanor quickly looked up. "No."

"No?"

"I can't ever be just your friend. I don't want to be your just anything."

Liam's fingers drummed a nervous pattern. "What are you saying?"

She wanted to tell him everything, so there would be no confusion. But he knew that she was in love with him.

And she knew he was in love with her.

So, Eleanor solidified her answer with leaning up on her toes and kissing him soundly. She could feel his smile as he wrapped his arms around her to pick her up.

"Happy birthday, Liam," she whispered when he pulled away. And, if his smile wasn't big enough already, she added a "_gráim thú" _for good measure.

* * *

I don't know where I've been for the past couple months. Not writing, that's for sure. I'm sorry. I'm a horrible person. I'll try to write more. Really.

In other news, I made a vague outline and it looks like this story still has 21 more chapters. Maybe I'll be 30 but I even finish it. Hopefully, I write more and not procrastinate as much.

But anyway, thanks for reading!


	62. Fancy Date

"Well, don't you look dashing."

Liam bit back a groan. He was in a good mood. Nothing could ruin it. Nothing and no one.

"Tell me, Liam, where are you taking her today that would warrant such a suit?"

Straightening his tie, he glanced over his shoulder to see Olivia leaning across his banister. "Are you sure you don't already know and have been scheming with Conner on how to ruin my day?"

Olivia laughed and quickly made her way up the remaining steps. "I'm not going to spend Valentine's Day tormenting you. " She stopped in front of Liam and leaned up to fix his collar. "Although it would be fun, I'd rather spend my first Valentine's with my husband. I'm sure you understand."

"Completely," Liam responded with a sigh of relief. He had been somewhat worried, especially since he had planned the entire day down to the minute and he didn't need any problems or distractions.

Olivia took a step back, eying his attire. "Now, really, where are you taking Eleanor?"

"Since we're out of Hogwarts and I can finally take Eleanor out on a real date, I made reservations at a nice restaurant-" He stopped at the wide-eyed look on Olivia's face. "What?"

"A _fancy _restaurant?" she exclaimed with a wide smile.

Liam shrugged as if it was no big deal, but it was for him. He made reservations over a month ago and began setting aside a large portion of his paycheck for this."The best restaurant I could afford," he admitted.

"Oh, Liam!" Olivia squealed without missing a beat. Liam cringed. "Look, at you, being all romantic!"

"I know it's just a holiday and it doesn't mean anything to her, but I thought I'd at least try." He wasn't sure why he was telling _Olivia_ everything, but he was nervous and needed to justify his actions. He knew Eleanor hated the holiday, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't want anything, right? Besides, it was just a date. A formal date. With formal attire. And an expensive dinner.

He groaned and began undoing his tie. "This is a horrible idea. I should just forget the whole thing-"

"No, no!" Olivia immediately grabbed his hands and, although Liam could have easily wrenched them away, he simply stopped and looked at her. "You are going to go to this restaurant and you're going to have a great time with Eleanor and then you're going to tell me all about it or I'll badger Eleanor to tell me all about it – either way, it's going to be extremely annoying – and we'll share Valentine's Day stories because Valentine's Day will be _great_. Understood?"

He blinked. "Not really."

Olivia growled and pushed Liam toward the staircase. "Go. Now. You're making me angry."

"I didn't do anything," Liam tried to respond, but Olivia just growled again and made a motion with her eyes to leave. It was his room, so he should have kicked _her _out, but he was already running late. He was supposed to be at Eleanor's house five minutes ago.

He hadn't been to her house since that whole Diagon Alley trip disaster. Her parents probably still hated him because of that disaster – even more so than usual. Liam had a _right_ to be nervous. With another nervous tug on his tie, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The familiar sights of London greeted him when he opened his eyes again. Tripping over his own feet, he quickly made his way down the street and around the corner, stopping next to the steps in front of Eleanor's place.

He just had to pick her up and they would be on their way. It was a few, quick words – that was all – and then he could have Eleanor to himself. He didn't have to deal with her parents for very long at all.

So, before he could talk himself of it, he bounded up the steps and pressed the doorbell.

The door opened immediately, but it wasn't Eleanor. It was her mother.

Liam drew in a sharp breath. "H-hello," he stuttered. He tried to remain calm, but Mrs. Bennett already turned her glare on him.

"Oh, hello, Liam," she said coolly. "I suppose you're here for Eleanor."

"Yes, of course. I mean, yes, yes, I'm here to pick her up-" Her mother narrowed her eyes and stared him up and down, as if judging him to see if it was okay for him to take Eleanor away.

Then, almost with a smirk, Mrs. Bennett turned away to call out, "Robert, we have a guest!"

_Why_ was this happening to him?

"Liam!" He could hear Eleanor rushing down the stairs, her heels clicking loudly with every step. "Mum, what are you doing? Why are you calling for dad?" She brushed past her mother, stopping in between them. "Happy Valentine's Day, Liam." And, without any warning or indication, she leaned forward and gave him a short kiss.

She was undeterred in her actions, immediately wrapping her hand around his arm. When he glanced over, she was looking back at him with a bright smile. It almost made Liam forget about who was standing in front of him until the older woman cleared her throat. Even with Eleanor's reassuring grasp, he couldn't stop shaking and tried to cover it up by shoving his hands in his pockets.

Surprisingly, instead of yelling at them, Mrs. Bennett directed her shouting elsewhere. "Robert, get over here right now!" When she didn't get a response, she pursed her lips and then frantically hurried out of sight.

"What is she doing?" Liam asked.

Eleanor paused before answering, "I have no clue. Do you want to get out of here before we have to find out?"

"God, yes."

She laughed and nudged him. "Come on then."

And he thought that was going to be it. They were going to get away from Eleanor's family and enjoy the rest of the day – just the two of them. They would have a great time at the restaurant and maybe even take a walk through the park on the way back. They could actually enjoy themselves for once – instead of being bothered or stressed or angry with one another.

Finally.

Then, before they could even turn around, Eleanor pulled on his arm.

"What is it?" he went to ask, but the answer was standing in front of him.

Eleanor's father was in the doorway. "Eleanor, honey," he exclaimed, giving her a look that almost looked like sympathy, "your mother has a surprise for you."

"What?"

"She wants to meet you in the dining room."

Liam felt Eleanor hesitate. "Are you sure? Right now?"

Her father gave a quick nod. "She has something to show you and – well -" He glanced over at Liam and gave him a glance-over, much like his wife did minutes ago. "You might want to cancel any plans or-"

"But it's Valentine's Day!" Eleanor stepped forward, dragging Liam along with her. "We can't stay here!"

As if on cue, Mrs. Bennett rounded the corner, holding out a plate of appetizers. "I made a special Valentine's Day dinner!"

Liam barely heard Eleanor respond "no, no, you didn't." He didn't understand_._ Why did her mother make dinner when she knew Liam was taking Eleanor out to a restaurant? Did Eleanor not tell her? Why did her father look so apologetic? Why did he feel so sick?

"Mum, you are not doing this-" Eleanor angrily ushered her parents out of the room, leaving Liam to stand in the hallway by himself.

He could hear their shouting. It was still strange to hear Eleanor so clearly and loudly; she barely ever raised her voice. She wasn't ever this angry and he just didn't know how to respond to it. And then there was her mother, yelling back at Eleanor with a harsher tone. Liam could barely hear her father; he wondered if he was even part of the conversation.

"You will sit down and enjoy this dinner I made for you!"

"You didn't make dinner. You panicked when you saw Liam and made dad wave his wand for you-"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that you're trying to keep us here because you don't want to let us out of your sight so you used magic to pretend that you made dinner!"

It was almost exactly like the argument before the Journey concert. Why couldn't Eleanor's mother just understand that they were a couple and there wasn't anything she could say that would change that fact? Eleanor was steadfast in all of her decisions; there was no way Mrs. Bennett was going to change her mind.

And Liam knew there was nothing he could do to help this situation. Every word out of his mouth was going to be an attack on their family.

He couldn't do or say _anything_.

"Eleanor-"

"And I know why you're worried. You have every right to be; you're my parents and you're trying to look out for me, but I'm smart. Don't you think I would have figured out by now if Liam wasn't good for me? I've known for him seven years. _Seven_ years-"

"I don't care how long you've known each other!" Liam winced as a short silence followed. He thought that the conversation was over, but then he heard, "You're too young to be getting married."

"_What?_"

Before he could make sense of anything, Eleanor suddenly barged out of the kitchen and grabbed his arm. Then he found himself face to face with her parents again – who, of course, looked like they were ready to jump down his throat.

"We're not getting married!" Liam blurted as soon as they set eyes on him.

Eleanor glanced over at him as if he said something wrong. But it was true! They weren't even thinking about marriage yet – especially not after his Proposal Fail Extraordinaire. So, _why _did her parents automatically assume they were ready for marriage?

Mrs. Bennett didn't look amused. "Liam, there is no reason to lie to me. You've been nervously fiddling with your pocket since you've been here. Why else would you take Eleanor to a nice restaurant?"

'She's my girlfriend and it's Valentine's Day' should have been his response, but Liam held his tongue. Chancing a glance over at Eleanor's father, Liam saw that he didn't look as upset.

Maybe he wasn't going to die today.

"He's not proposing, mum," Eleanor thankfully interceded, "we've talked about it and we're not getting married anytime soon. Liam's just always this nervous-"

"Well, I don't see why he should be," Mrs. Bennett proclaimed, crossing her arms.

Liam wanted to laugh incredulously, but Eleanor squeezed lightly on his hand and said, "Don't worry about us. We're just going out to dinner and I'll be right home, okay?"

Surprisingly, that seemed to placate Mrs. Bennett. After exchanging a long look with her husband, she finally nodded. "Fine, fine." Then she hesitated and added, slowly, "But I expect you to be home before nine. I don't want you two staying out late."

Liam knew exactly what she meant; she didn't want them to spend the night together. Although they weren't planning on it, Liam wasn't thrilled with the curfew. They only had a few hours left before she was due back at the house. Eleanor must have been thinking the same thing because, instead of arguing, she forced a smile and turned to leave.

"Thank you for...your...consideration," Liam exclaimed without thinking. Her parents stared back at him as if he was spouting off crazy talk. "And sorry for...everything." Before he could say any other stupid remark, Eleanor pulled him out of the room.

"They were going to sabotage your proposal," she proclaimed as soon as they exited through the door. "They made sure that they were going to be there _just_ so they could convince me to say no." She laughed at that, shaking her head. "_Merlin, _this is ridiculous."

"Do you think everyone expects us to get engaged?" Liam mused. Eleanor paused to look over at him, but she didn't say anything. "Right now, I mean," he added. "I mean, your parents definitely thought I was going to propose to you and I know half of your family thinks we should be married already and I'm just wondering-"

"We're just out of school, Liam," Eleanor replied, "Still teenagers. I don't think we're the right age to be thinking about lifelong commitments."

He could feel his heart beating in his throat. "So this is just temporary?"

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean that," Eleanor hastened to explain, "I mean we're too young to be partaking in the...rituals, if you will. I have thought about it. Of course I have. I know that's what you want – marriage and children and an entire life together and sometimes I can imagine it. I think it's something I want too." She chuckled then and added, "okay, _now_ I'm beginning to understand why my parents jumped to the wrong conclusions. If they heard us talking right now-"

Maybe it was her words or the fact that it had been weeks since they had last seen each other, but he couldn't stop from cutting her off mid-sentence with a kiss. Eleanor didn't seem to mind; she laughed and leaned into it.

"Eleanor," he murmured, pulling away just enough to ask, "Do you want to be Mrs. Pritchard?"

She didn't hesitate to respond, "Yes, one day." Leaning back just enough to cock an eyebrow, she quickly said, "but this isn't a proposal."

He grinned, leaning forward to kiss her. "Oh, you'll know when it's a proposal."

* * *

Long story short: I got a new job from 5-9 AM (every single day but Sunday) which means my peak writing time of midnight-3 AM doesn't exist anymore and it is _so_ hard to write during the day. The end.

But anyway, here's a chapter. From now on, time will be flying by in this story. The next chapter actually skips forward until May, so brace yourselves.

Thanks for reading!


	63. Planned Event

On March 23rd, Eleanor planned to spend the night over at the Pritchard residence. That wasn't strange in itself; after all, she spent a lot of her free time with Liam. However, it usually wasn't at his house (even though she did like the time she spent there) and it was never a planned event with his entire family.

An event like Conner Adam Pritchard's 22nd birthday.

It began with a late morning breakfast. After a personal invite from the birthday boy ("hey, Eleanor, I'm sure Liam won't do his annual sulking on my birthday if you show up, so it'd be best if you were there"), Eleanor couldn't say no, so she apparated over and met with Liam just outside the house. He was already sulking.

"He's absolutely mental - going around with a 'birthday boy' sash and ordering mum around to cook him his breakfast feast! Olivia and Lindsay are helping, but don't be obliged to help too. I'd rather you keep me sane. Please."

She ended up helping. Liam watched from the safety of the staircase as Conner strutted around and boasted about how it was his big day. Olivia kept beaming at him, clearly distracted as the sausages started burning. As soon as the last piece of bread popped out of the toaster, Conner grabbed heaping portions of his favorite foods.

Eleanor didn't even try to make a plate for herself. Instead, she found a seat next to Liam and they both shared some toast with jam as Conner finished his full Irish breakfast in less than five minutes. Through a mouthful of food, the birthday boy then insisted on a quick trip to the nearest shopping outlet to spend his birthday money.

And Eleanor was okay with that; a quick trip couldn't hurt and she could hide at the back of the Pritchard crowd to follow quietly.

Of course it didn't work like that. Eleanor's plans were quickly ruined with Olivia's impromptu decision to browse a certain boutique as soon as they arrived. Instead of spending the day with Liam, hopefully staying invisible at the back of the "Pritchard pack," Eleanor was forced along with Lindsay and Olivia into – not just any ordinary boutique – a lingerie shop.

She blanched as soon as she entered, but it wasn't because she was flustered. Eleanor just wasn't sure how to react. She was buying lingerie with Lindsay and Olivia – the Pritchard wives – and clearly had no business being with them. The only thing she could think to do was give constructive criticism and be as cheerful as possible.

"He's ignored me all day," Olivia continued shouting from behind her dressing room door. Eleanor jumped slightly. "And I want to surprise him with the best birthday present he'll ever get – me."

Lindsay, browsing the sale rack, turned to share an amused glance with Eleanor. "I don't think it will be that difficult."

"It _is. _I need to find the perfect outfit. It's his _birthday – _the most important day of the year-"

"Olivia," Lindsay sighed, "he's only going to see you in it for about two seconds-"

"This! This is it!" Eleanor jumped as Olivia burst out of the room wearing a lingerie set that really left nothing to the imagination. Instead of staying in the dressing room, she made her way out onto the sales floor, grinning proudly. "Green is Conner's favorite color and it just looks so _striking –_ I absolutely love it."

Eleanor hastened to follow. "He'll love it, but really, Conner's going to love anything that has to do with you-"

It was as if Eleanor said something insulting; Olivia suddenly came to a complete stop in the middle of the store and shouted,"Linds!"

They were the only ones in the store, but still, Eleanor tried to shush her. "Lindsay's right there," she explained but, for some reason, Olivia wasn't listening to her anymore. Instead, she marched back to the sales rack where Lindsay was watching with wide eyes and pulled her to the side.

Maybe it was some sort of "special Pritchard sisters bonding time." Eleanor obviously wasn't meant to hear by the way they dropped their voices to excited whispers.

Eleanor knew she shouldn't have felt so left out, but she knew she was the odd one of the bunch. The girlfriend, the not as important one, the tag-a-long. Before Eleanor could make any sense out of the situation, Olivia turned to Eleanor with a hand on her hip and said, "Liam's favorite color?"

"Oh, no," Eleanor breathed, eyes widening, "No, no, no. I'm not – not getting anything -"

Olivia scoffed and began pulling things from the nearest sales rack. "Oh, yes, you are. I think you'd look good in black – everyone does though. How about a deep purple?"

Eleanor turned to Lindsay, expecting some sort of sanity from the older girl, but she was also looking, glancing at Eleanor every so often with an apologetic smile.

"I can't buy anything-" Eleanor tried again and again and again, but they weren't listening at all. Things were thrown in front of her face and held up to her body as if she were a mannequin.

"So, what is his favorite color? You know, on you?" Olivia asked, putting a black corset up to Eleanor's chest.

Throwing her hands up awkwardly to avoid everything thrown at her, Eleanor hesitated before responding, "I don't know. His favorite color is blue."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "What a stereotypical Ravenclaw."

"You do look really good in blue. Especially navy," Lindsay spoke up, grabbing a navy and cream striped set. "Doesn't it look good with her complexion, Olivia?"

"That's it!" Olivia snatched the garment and thrust it into Eleanor's face. "He would love this one, wouldn't he?"

Eleanor eyed the set – it was definitely lingerie and not the usual plain undergarments she owned. Satin, frills, and definitely not made for structure. "I don't know about this-"

Olivia's smile dropped almost immediately. She lowered the lingerie and stared at Eleanor through narrowed eyes. "Are you serious right now? Are you trying to tell me that you don't know what he'd like because he's never seen you in anything like this?"

"I don't know what you mean-" Eleanor hastened to say.

"And you don't know what his favorite color on you is because you've never given him an opportunity to figure it out because you've never worn lingerie or anything remotely sexy in front of him and – _Merlin_, Eleanor, you're still a virgin."

It took awhile for Eleanor to find her voice. "And?" she finally said, almost wincing on how meek it sounded.

"Olivia, it's not a big deal-" Lindsay, _finally_ the voice of reason, cut in.

"They've been back together for three months! They've known each other for like...seven or something years. And they haven't even shagged!"

Eleanor let out a slow breath and shut her eyes tight. Even though they were the only ones in the shop, there were still the salespeople and she knew – she just _knew _that they were listening in on every word. It would have been fine (albeit slightly awkward) if Olivia had just brought this up in private, but here, right now, Eleanor couldn't do it.

"_Olivia._" Even Lindsay's chastisement didn't do much to alleviate the situation.

"It's true!" Olivia added.

"Yes, it is," Eleanor confirmed, opening her eyes to see Olivia had taken a step back. Both her and Lindsay were waiting for Eleanor's next words intently, and she was pretty sure the two older ladies who were running the shop were leaning across the counter to hear better. "It's not that we're against being intimate or we're trying to avoid it. We're just focusing on other things and we haven't gotten around to discussing-"

"Discussing?" Olivia scoffed yet again. "You want to _discuss_ how to have sex instead of actually _having _sex?"

"_Yes_," Eleanor emphasized. "It's my decision and I'm not going to be pressured into it by anyone else's opinion of my relationship. I'm waiting until I know I'm ready – and I'll know when that is. It has nothing to do with a certain amount of time or what society thinks is acceptable. It's what I want and yes, it's what Liam wants too. It's _our _decision. I'm sorry if you think it's ridiculous to wait this long, but that's how I feel."

Olivia's eyes were never larger.

"Okay," Lindsay broke the long silence that ensued. Eleanor could have sworn she saw a fleeting smile.

Olivia's gaze snapped to Lindsay before finally coming to her senses and turning sharply on her heel to go back into the dressing room.

"I hope I didn't upset her too much," Eleanor commented after the door closed (quite loudly too).

Lindsay chuckled. "No, she just doesn't like to be wrong. Do you want me to put that back for you?"

She tugged slightly on the garment in Eleanor's hands, but Eleanor shook her head. "No," she responded lightly, glancing down before saying, "I think I'll hang onto it."

-x-

It had just passed midnight at the Pritchard household and Eleanor was ready to breathe a sigh of relief. After running around all day, following the Pritchards and trying to dodge Olivia's invasive questions, Eleanor was ready for the day to be over.

However, although Conner's birthday had officially passed, his enthusiasm was definitely undeterred. "I want to go to Clancy's!" he shouted in the midst of his conversation with Sean.

"What's Clancy's?" Eleanor whispered as Conner turned to rant about his plans to Olivia. His wife only nodded in response, as if she was tired of his antics too.

Liam groaned and leaned back, sinking into the couch. Eleanor didn't hesitate to follow his lead and fall back in his embrace. She had the feeling that Olivia was watching and calculating their every move, but Eleanor didn't care enough to look up.

"It's a pub," Liam answered, barely audible, "of course."

"Mmm," Eleanor murmured and, after a pause, added, "we're not going, are we?"

Liam chuckled. The vibration made Eleanor's heart race. "Merlin, no. I don't want to get wasted with my brothers. It's practically my definition of a horrible time."

"What's your definition of a good time then?"

Another pause. Conner's "just until closing – alright?" broke through Eleanor's daze, right before Liam's answer brought her back to reality. "You. Spending time with you. It hasn't changed since first year."

Eleanor knew she shouldn't have been surprised, but there it was – that wild heartbeat again. What was wrong with her?

"I think we're going to have to miss out, Conner," Eleanor spoke up before she even knew what she was saying. "I have to get back to London early tomorrow morning."

It wasn't a total lie; she needed the morning to get ready for work, which she had later in the day. Mostly though, she didn't want to spend the night in a crowded pub, having to yell to be heard as drinks were shoved in her face.

"Oh really?" Olivia responded from across the room. Eleanor winced and braced herself for the onslaught. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here for other reasons?"

"_Olivia_," Lindsay tried once again. It never worked.

Eleanor decided to just smile and ignore. "Good night everyone." Tugging lightly on Liam's hand, she led him out of the room and up the stairs. If it looked suspicious, she didn't care. She didn't have to keep up appearances for their sake.

"I'm sorry for that," Liam apologized as soon as they climbed the last step. "I know I apologize for my brothers' behavior all the time and I don't know why I feel the need to apologize for Olivia, but-"

"Don't worry about it," Eleanor interrupted. "I'm used to Olivia more so than your brothers. She doesn't bother me anymore."

They walked down the hallway and stopped outside of the guest room. Both of them knew she wouldn't stay the night there, but all of her belongings were put in that room every time she spent the night.

And every time, Liam got flustered at this part. "I guess – I'll see you soon?" He always asked in a quiet, hopeful voice, as if they were sharing a secret.

Eleanor couldn't help but smile. "Soon," she confirmed and, stepping up on her tip toes, pressed a kiss to his lips. He held her there, arm sneaking around her back, and they swayed slightly on the spot.

It was a familiar scene; walking to the guest room, a goodnight kiss, and then Eleanor making her way up to his room less than an hour later. It was nothing out of the ordinary and Liam had no reason to second guess it.

And yet, Eleanor was sure he knew.

Ten minutes later, she was standing in front of the full-length mirror, hands awkwardly on her hips as she scrutinized every inch of her body. She had bought the lingerie before trying it on and was worried that it wouldn't fit correctly. It looked strange – but it was probably the fact that she wasn't used to seeing herself in these type of garments (or really, lack of).

Was this really what men wanted to see? What was so special about wearing tiny, frilly clothing? Wouldn't they rather see no clothing at all?

Eleanor sighed. Maybe it was her. Maybe she couldn't do "sexy" because she didn't understand "sexy."

Tilting her head to the side, Eleanor was surprised to find she wasn't unsatisfied with what she was seeing. Sure, she felt awkward, but that wasn't part of her appearance. And her hair, although slightly messy, wasn't horrible. Her skin was pale, but that was just how she always was. Her body wasn't perfect, but the lingerie didn't emphasize that. It just emphasized _her_.

Maybe self-confidence was what she was missing.

After another long look at herself in the mirror, Eleanor finally gathered enough courage to turn away and put her nightgown back on. She took her time doing up the laces, taking a few, deep breaths with her hand ready on the doorknob.

She couldn't give herself time to overthink. Pulling open the door, Eleanor slipped out in the hallway and made her way toward Liam's bedroom, hurrying up the staircase and turning the corner. It was dark; he left one light on, next to his bed, barely illuminating the room.

"Hey," she heard him greet her and then the click of another light.

There he was – sitting with his back against the headboard and giving her his familiar grin.

It was always the same routine: he greeted her and she crawled into his bed without another word. But this time, she stalled.

She watched him, her eyes never wavering. After a few seconds, Liam quirked an eyebrow at her hesitation, his casual expression fading into worry. "Are you okay?" he asked slowly. He probably thought he did something to upset her. When she didn't answer right away, he then leaned forward, a frown pulling at his lips. "Eleanor." He spoke her name softly, as if he was afraid he'd startle her.

"Liam," she finally answered, her voice surprisingly steady.

He blinked, waiting for her to continue, but she had no more words. Instead, she kept her eyes on the boy in front of her, watching every uplift of an eyebrow, twitch of the lips, blink of an eye. His eyes were widened slightly, mouth parted, and then there was that sharp intake of breath when her hands moved to untie the laces. His gaze didn't waver from her own; even as she pulled the gown down off her arms and onto the floor.

Biting down on her lip, she wanted for Liam to say something, move, do _something_ other than stare at her. He hadn't even taken his eyes off of her face. Here she was, standing in lingerie in front of her boyfriend and he was staring at her _face_.

It was becoming too hot; she took in a few deep breaths and the motion turned Liam's attention downward. Less than two seconds later, his head snapped up and Eleanor noted his flushed cheeks.

He wasn't going to make the first move; if anything was going to happen, she was going to have to be the one to initiate. With a small, reassuring smile, Eleanor took a step forward.

That seemed to bring Liam back to reality and he choked out, "Eleanor, what-"

Bumping the bed with her knee, Eleanor hesitated before kneeling down on the mattress. Liam's fingers twitched awkwardly as if he couldn't decide whether or not to touch her, finally deciding to rest his hands on her arms. He immediately began to trace the goosebumps on her skin.

"I know we've tried this once before and it didn't work-"

"Don't feel like you need to do this because of my family, Eleanor," Liam blurted out, tone almost frantic, "because I don't want you to be pressured into this again-"

"_I _want this," Eleanor exclaimed, fingers playing with bottom of Liam's nightshirt. "Not because of Olivia or your brothers or anyone else. It's all me."

He was unabashedly staring at her now. "This is a dream, right?"

With a soft laugh, Eleanor shook her head. "I promise this is real. Now, please, kiss me before I begin to think you don't want this-"

She barely finished her sentence before Liam had wound his arm around her back and pulled her up into a kiss. She gasped at the contact and then tugged up on his shirt, breaking the kiss long enough to remove his top.

"We'll take this slow," he murmured before kissing her shortly.

She began to feel slightly queasy; maybe the butterflies in her stomach, her spinning head, and thumping heartbeat were supposed to be warning signs. But Eleanor didn't see them that way.

Instead, she smiled against his lips and whispered a quick, "I love you."

She didn't just hear his laugh. She could feel it – the vibrations against her skin, soft and low and even, paired with the intake of his breath against her own body. His laugh said everything to her, but hearing him repeat his love over and over in two languages said even more.

-x-

Romance novels weren't Eleanor's forte. She preferred stories with a more intriguing plot line and deeper and intense characters; yet, she knew enough about romance to know how the morning after was supposed to go. She expected to wake up in the morning with Liam's arm around her waist and her head on his chest. He would be watching her sleep and she would wake up to a good morning kiss. And then they would blush and stammer and talk about the night before, probably leading into some heated snogging or "round two" as the novels sometimes called it.

But when she woke up the next morning, Liam wasn't in bed with her. He wasn't even in the room.

Eleanor noticed that he was completely missing after a few sleepy scans of her surroundings. She bolted upright, pulling the covers to her chin. It wouldn't be like him to leave. What if one of his brothers found them in bed earlier? Or even worse – his mum.

Then she noticed the note on the window, blocking the few rays of early sunlight.

Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Eleanor made her way across the room and leaned close to read the small print.

_Eleanor,_ _I hope you slept well. Come outside and I'll show you my famous Pritchard hide-a-way._

Underneath the message, a tiny arrow pointed left, outside the open window. Eleanor paused and then poked her head out of the window, glancing up to see an easy access to the roof. With a laugh, she spun around and found her clothes in record time.

She was still trying to comb her fingers through her hair as she crawled out onto the rooftop a couple minutes later, spotting him across the way, facing toward the sunrise.

The "hello" stuck in her throat, so Eleanor just nudged him slightly with her knee as she sat down. He didn't immediately look at her; his nose wrinkled in amusement and he looked down before leaning over and bumping her shoulder in return. Without a word, he offered her some toast and jam.

Eleanor could have commented on the fact that they had the same breakfast yesterday. She could have asked him how he was feeling or what were their plans for the day. She could have inquired about his secret hide-a-way on the roof or the fact that it was still entirely too early in the morning and no one else was awake yet.

But she didn't.

She just smiled brightly, which he returned with his familiar (and, of course, heart racing) Liam grin.

* * *

This chapter is 3,500 words. I will pretend that's reason enough for not updating in months.

But hey, look at what happened in this chapter! Pretty important, huh? Worth it? Maybe?

So, the reason I haven't been updating recently is what I like to call my "quarter-age-crisis." I'm slowly making my way through this writer's block though and I will definitely update sooner than four months next time.

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing and favoriting and alerting and whatever this website added when I was gone. You're all awesome.


	64. Teasing Brothers

"_Ughhhh..." _Liam glanced up just in time to see Conner face-dive into the kitchen table. Although he could have taken Conner's obvious bait for attention, Liam merely raised an eyebrow as he took another sip of orange juice.

Sean, however, immediately turned around from feeding Graham and leaned over to clap Conner on the back. "This is what you get, Conner Adam."

"Don't call me that," Conner groaned, rolling his head to the side to glare at his older brother. "You sound like mum."

"Sound like mum? Are you still impaired-"

"_Hungover,"_ Conner emphasized, "I am hungover because I was drunk hours ago. I am not drunk now. Not at all. Nope."

With a laugh, Sean said, "This can't come as a surprise – not after how many pints you downed-"

Liam kept his eyes down on his cereal bowl, determined not to provoke any further discussion. It wasn't that difficult; he didn't have anything to add since he didn't even know how much Conner had to drink last night. He was just going to leave Sean and Conner to bicker and try to stay out of it as long as he could.

Thankfully, Lindsay, Olivia and, surprisingly, his mother left earlier to "get out of the house" as Olivia put it. Eleanor had already went back to London before anyone was awake, effectively avoiding an awkward morning-after situation.

"I don't care about being hungover," Conner exclaimed as he reached for the pitcher of orange juice, almost knocking it over as he fumbled for it. "Olivia's avoiding me."

"And how is that not your fault?" Sean asked. "She was embarrassed by you-"

"That's not a good reason to avoid me!" Conner's outburst suddenly made Graham fling his eggs off his plate, landing perfectly in Conner's hair. (Liam swore he didn't see his nephew lift a finger, but he couldn't be sure since he only saw it happen out of the corner of his eye.) Graham erupted into a fit of giggles and Sean couldn't stop himself from laughing along with his son. "It isn't funny!" Conner complained as he tried to brush the food out of his hair. "Olivia's avoiding me for some unknown reason-"

"I guess it is unknown," Sean agreed, pulling Graham out of his high chair, "because if it was because she was embarrassed, she'd always avoid you-"

"She just didn't want to take advantage of me in my drunken state-" Conner practically cried.

Liam couldn't help it; he snorted loudly.

"You stay out of this!" Conner snarled, pointing a finger in Liam's direction.

"I didn't say a word," Liam tried to reason, but there was no going back now.

Conner, still slumped over the table, leaned forward to get in Liam's face. "But you're being sarcastic and judging me in the corner. So, tell me, little brother, why are you being so quiet over there? Olivia told me the guest bedroom was empty when we got home. Did Eleanor get tired of us and have to leave?"

Liam didn't miss a beat. "You know that she can't sleep by herself. Mum even knows-"

"So we're supposed to believe that she spent the night with you – like she _always_ does when she's over here-" Liam didn't even get a chance to answer before Conner narrowed his eyes. "I may be hungover but I know when you're being shifty."

Liam blinked. "I'm not being shifty. I'm answering your questions."

This time, it was both Sean and Conner who shared a glance. Liam took in a deep breath. They didn't know a thing. Not a single thing. They couldn't know. They didn't know. They wouldn't know.

"And I'm not being deceitful," Liam added, just for good measure, "so I don't see how I'm being shifty at all." He wasn't lying to them; he just wasn't telling anything.

Suddenly, Sean and Conner grinned at each other before turning their attention back on Liam.

"Rational answer," Conner pointed out.

"No stuttering," Sean added.

"Not nervous."

"Not worried."

"Not afraid of us."

"Definitely shifty," they said in unison with a synchronized nod.

Liam sighed. "I think you two are the ones acting shifty. I'm going to take my breakfast up to my room now-" He moved to stand up, but Sean reached out with his free hand and grabbed onto the back of Liam's chair. Graham laughed again, almost as if he knew what was happening.

"Oh, no, no, no," Sean chastised. Liam groaned, trying to balance his bowl while struggling to get out of the enclosed space. "Liam, my dear brother, sit down. Relax. We're not going to hurt you."

"You're going to torture me," Liam deadpanned, lifting his food over his head as he struggled to stand up, "and I don't want to be tortured. Not today."

"_Why_ not today?" Conner was quick to join in. Liam was hoping that his brother's hangover would make it easier to escape, but Conner was still able to grab onto the other side of Liam's chair.

"Because I want to eat my cereal in peace," Liam explained, "Now let me go-"

Liam didn't say a single word about it. He didn't give them a single hint. He didn't allow his brothers any reason to believe something had happened, but they just knew. Liam could tell the second they shared that second glance. He saw it in their expressions – the way their eyebrows raised, their eyes widened, those stupid smirks. So, with a wince, Liam began to slowly shake his head. Maybe he could convince them not to make a big deal-

"You're _kidding _me," Sean practically screeched.

"KIDDING, KIDDING!" Graham mimicked.

"_Finally!_" Conner yelled, shaking the fine china in the nearest cabinet.

"Don't-" Liam tried.

"Don't what?" Conner asked, shaking Liam's chair, causing milk to spill all over the table. "You had to know this was coming when you told us-"

"I didn't say anything!"

"My littlest brother has finally become a man!" Sean cooed, pinching Liam's cheek. "I'm so proud of you-"

"Now, we need a little something to go on so if you'd spare a couple details-"

"You weren't rubbish, were you?"

Liam blinked and tried to shrink back in his chair. It was like he was stuck in between two curious twelve year olds.

"Oh god, tell me you weren't. You're a Pritchard. You have a reputation to maintain-"

Liam only shook his head in disbelief, but his brothers took it as an answer to Conner's question.

"Do you need any tips?"

_Merlin_, he wasn't going to listen to this.

"I can tell you a couple things that will really-"

There wasn't any other way out. Closing his eyes, Liam disapparated without a word, appearing again in the middle of Diagon Alley during a wave of freezing sleet.

"_Of course,_" Liam said through gritted teeth, throwing a hand over his eyes. He had apparated outside of Gringotts and thought about ducking into the building to warm up for a second, but it would only be momentary relief from the cold. Making his way quickly down the street, Liam kept his eyes forward, weaving in between the few lone customers window shopping.

The tiny shop at the back of the alley finally came into view and Liam hurried inside, shivering violently as he stood in the doorway. His presence was definitely made known by the loud slam of the door and chime of the bell; Mrs. Bishop glanced up from across the room and Eleanor peered around a bookshelf with wide eyes.

"Liam!" Eleanor crossed the room in seconds. "You're soaked. What are you doing without a jacket?"

"I had to disapparate," he managed to say shakily, "away from my brothers," he added, just so she would understand completely.

Eleanor raised an eyebrow and Liam tried to look as sympathetic as possible. Even though he hadn't said a word to them, it was still his fault that his entire family knew. After all, it wouldn't be long until Sean and Conner told Olivia and Lindsay and his _mother_.

"Merlin," Liam groaned under his breath.

Eleanor's hands stilled from shaking the water out of the collar of his shirt, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she kept her gaze on her hands for a long moment and then turned toward Mrs. Bishop.

"Do we have anything that Liam could wear? I'd hate to send him home now."

The older woman tilted her head at the couple. "I'm sure we can find him something."

A couple minutes later, Liam was huddled in an oversized jumper, sitting in front of the reading nook. He wasn't entirely comfortable wearing someone else's clothes, but anything was better than being shivering wet (except being around his family).

"Here." He turned to see Eleanor holding out a mug of hot tea. "It's all I can do without a proper kitchen or else I would have made you some hot butterbeer or cocoa-"

"It's great. Thank you." He took the mug with surprisingly sturdy hands. "If I would've known it was raining, I wouldn't have disapparated so hastily, but my brothers wouldn't let me leave the kitchen table and I needed to get away."

"I just hope you don't get a cold," Eleanor said, curling up in the chair across from him. "Trying to deal with them when you're confined to the house wouldn't be ideal-"

"Sean and Lindsay are leaving today," Liam exclaimed, taking a sip of his tea. Eleanor must have put a spell on it; it warmed his fingers and toes almost immediately. "And Olivia is too. So, I'll only have to deal with Conner and I've done that – what – my entire life? Pretty sure I can deal with him even on my worst days. It was just both of them – together – asking questions. I didn't want to answer any of them and they were giving me no choice so-" He shrugged. "How's work going? I'm sorry for barging in-"

Eleanor smiled. "Mrs. Bishop doesn't mind. She likes you." They both glanced over at Eleanor's boss. She was obviously trying not to watch the couple, but Liam could see her stealing glances. "Besides, it's raining and early in the day, so it's not like we're busy. I just wasn't expecting on seeing you again today."

"Especially looking like a drowned rat," Liam muttered.

With a chuckle, Eleanor shook her head. "Well, I'm glad you're here, drowned rat or not. Promise me one thing though."

"Of course."

"The next time you visit me at home, please don't..." She paused, giving him a knowing look, "-_answer _any of my parents' questions."

"But I didn't tell them anything!" Liam was quick to point out. He watched Eleanor's lips curve upward. She was trying to joke about it, but he still had to make her understand. "I just sat there while they bickered about Conner being hungover and then, suddenly, they were on me about how I was being rational or something and then they just _knew_."

Eleanor clicked her tongue. "Right."

"And I didn't even confirm anything. They assumed they were right and tried giving me tips or something while holding down my chair. I didn't even get to finish my cereal, Eleanor!"

"How tragic."

"It_ is_."

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Drink your tea, Liam." She untucked her legs and stood up to get back to work. "Maybe if you look presentable, we'll go out for lunch." Liam gaped after her as she disappeared around a bookshelf. He didn't understand; it _was_ tragic. Anything concerning his brothers was tragic.

Scowling, Liam snuggled deeper into the jumper and decided to wait until lunch to make his case.

* * *

Wow! An update! After I just wrote something the other week! What is this?

Well, one of the things I'm working on this year is to write everyday and that has already produced a chapter of this story. Maybe I'll actually finish it this year!

So, here's the long awaited chapter 64. The next chapter will skip to July and will feature a lot of life...changing...events.

Thanks for reading!


	65. Surprising News

It was a humid early morning in July when Eleanor found herself silently wrestling her way out of the tangled bed sheets, all the while keeping a close eye on her sleeping boyfriend. She knew that if he awakened, he would only-

"Eleanor-"

She winced and slowly turned her head to see him blinking sleepily at her. She _knew _as soon as she met his gaze, she would want to stay. It was almost impossible leaving every time because he gave her those stupid puppy dog eyes and it absolutely didn't help that his sleepy state was completely adorable – tousled hair, squinty eyes, scrunched up nose and all. "I know, I know-"

"Come on," he groaned, reaching for her hand. She moved out of his grasp and stared straight ahead at the opposite wall. She just had to avoid his gaze. That was it. "It's not like they don't know."

"I'm trying to be respectful of your mother and her boundaries," Eleanor explained again. It was her idea (and she thought it was pretty brilliant if she dare say so). Whenever she were to stay the night, she would say her goodbyes earlier that day, making sure every Pritchard saw her leave and then, after everyone was long asleep, she would apparate back into Liam's bedroom. That way, Conner couldn't say a word about any "risque business." And they would never see her in the morning; she disapparated long before dawn and returned back later in the day - at a respectable time of course.

Eleanor thought it was fool proof.

Liam, on the other hand, hated seeing her leave.

"But my mum doesn't mind," Liam tried convincing her (yet again). His hand found hers and this time, she didn't pull away. "She already deals with Conner and Olivia and you can't deny what's happening there. They're extremely...well, vocal about it-"

"I don't want to be compared to them."

"And I'm not comparing us. We're not them. You know that, I know that, they know that." He tugged lightly and she allowed her gaze to fall back at him.

Puppy dog eyes. Eleanor sighed, biting down on her lip. She had to say no. She had to leave. He wasn't going to convince her.

"Please come here," he pleaded and, this time when he pulled on her hand, she let herself follow his lead and laid back down, curling in between his arm and chest. "Thank you," he murmured, "I hate it when you leave. I like waking up next to you."

Eleanor couldn't stop herself from smiling and responded lightly, "I hate how sentimental you are in the morning."

She glanced up and he sighed dramatically. "Sorry. You are free to leave if you really want."

Eleanor quirked an eyebrow at him. "Do you mean that?

Liam didn't say anything, but when Eleanor tried to move out of his embrace, he only wound his arm around her tighter. "Only teasing, of course. I like you too much to let you leave now," he practically growled before pulling her into a kiss.

And she couldn't argue when he was kissing her. She didn't even want to argue anymore. He was right; it was so much better waking up next to each other and wasting the early morning light instead of scrambling to leave. Just a year ago, she would have been convinced that intimacy like this would never be possible with her insecurities and worries and now...

Eleanor sighed as Liam's fingers brushed through her curls.

Now she couldn't be close enough.

-x-

"Why do I live in the attic? Why does heat have to rise?"

Eleanor glanced up in the mirror. Behind her, she could see Liam fall back on his bed.

"Do you want an actual answer or-"

He tried to give her his best glare, but ruined that with a smile. Eleanor chuckled and looked back at her reflection. Even with the heat and the bird's nest that was her hair, she managed to make herself somewhat presentable. Her curls were pinned up, keeping the frizzy strands off of her neck and the sleveless blouse and cut-off shorts looked cute enough. It probably wasn't the best choice of clothing for Liam's sake (his brothers would definitely tease him later) but it was much too humid for anything else.

"Really, _why _do I live up here?" Eleanor turned away from the mirror just as Liam groaned loudly. "Hey-" His tone brightened as he lifted his head up enough to meet her gaze. "How about we go and get a place on the shore? With a nice breeze? A nice, cold breeze."

Eleanor cocked an eyebrow. "Are you asking me to move in with you, Mr. Pritchard? You know that's not proper."

"Of course not," he replied lightly, "Just a vacation. However, I wouldn't object to living on the shore. In fact-"

A sharp knock on the door interrupted their banter. "Liam?"

Eleanor winced. It was his mother. She tried curling in on herself even though it wouldn't be any help. She was in direct view from the doorway.

"Mum?" Liam answered, thankfully keeping his voice steady.

"Sean and Lindsay are here," Mrs. Pritchard said from the other side of the door. "I'm not sure why, but Olivia's also in the kitchen making breakfast."

Liam got the hint. "I'll be down in a minute."

They were greeted with silence and Eleanor let out a slow breath to calm her nerves. "Oh, and Eleanor? You're welcome too."

Eleanor could feel the blush crawling up her neck and it had nothing to do with the heat. "Thank you, Mrs. Pritchard," she spoke, voice cracking. When she glanced over at Liam, he was giving her most ridiculous sympathetic expression. It looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"I told you she knows," Liam whispered after they finally heard retreating footsteps.

Dropping her face into her hands, Eleanor shook her head violently. "I won't even be able to look at her now. It was only okay the last time she caught me spending the night because we didn't do anything and I could explain myself rationally but now-"

"It'll be okay. She seems more preoccupied with the fact that Sean and Lindsay made an unexpected visit anyway." He crossed the room and took her hand, helping her out of the chair. "And if they say anything-" He didn't have to explain who 'they' were; it was Liam and Eleanor's special way of saying 'Sean-Lindsay-Conner-Olivia-and-all-craziness-involved.' "I'll personally go after them."

Eleanor pursed her lips and teetered on her tiptoes for a second, but didn't have to think for long. After a second of pause, she gave Liam a smile and pulled on his hand. "As long as you promise."

He must have went through a million promises as they made their way down to the kitchens and, although Eleanor could have told him that it was okay, she let him reassure her over and over and over again. But she knew he was aware he didn't have to promise anything; he was making sure that smile was still on her face as they rounded the corner into the dining room.

However, it wasn't enough; the smile dropped as soon as Eleanor saw Mrs. Pritchard sitting at the table. She couldn't do it. She couldn't be in the same room as Liam's mother without flushing horribly. And was she supposed to hold a conversation in this state? Impossible.

"Mornin', mum," Liam greeted his mother, thankfully breaking the silence, "Do you know why-"

Suddenly, Olivia peeked out from inside the kitchen, face red and hair messy. "Oh, Liam! And Eleanor!" She brandished a spatula in their direction and Eleanor realized that she was actually _cooking_ in this heat. "What do you want in your omelettes? I have an array of options – there's sausage, ham, and bacon and then I have some vegetables – onions and green peppers and olives -"

"Wait - why are you making omelettes?" Liam interrupted.

Olivia smiled so broadly that Eleanor began to feel uneasy. "Silly Liam," Olivia giggled. "I love to cook. And when there are guests, it's only polite to cook them a nice, hearty meal-"

"_You_ invited _us _here," Sean pointed out from the other side of the room. Eleanor looked over at the couple who were seated next to Liam's mother. For the first time, Eleanor took a good look at the room which was decorated like some sort of four-star establishment. Matching plates with intricately folded napkins, coordinated utensils and, in the middle of the table, two vases of brightly colored daisies glittering almost unnaturally in the sunlight created an very interesting setting. An interesting and _suspicious _setting.

"Yes, I did. I absolutely did." Olivia exclaimed, jabbing her spatula in Sean's direction. She then turned back to Liam and Eleanor with another crazy grin. "No matter! I'll just make you my specialty!"

Liam opened his mouth – probably to ask what the specialty was – but Eleanor quickly grabbed onto his arm and shook her head. Instead of further questioning, they silently took seats at the table and shared anxious glances with the rest of the family.

Eleanor didn't even know where to begin to guess; after all, Olivia was known for making a big deal out of little things. She wouldn't be surprised if this entire thing was to show off a new piece of jewelry or celebrate a small raise at work, but Eleanor had a nagging feeling that it wasn't something trivial this time.

"Food!" Graham's sudden outburst broke Eleanor out of her thoughts. Across the table, the toddler started banging his fists on his chair. "Food!"

Sean groaned. "He's been doing this all morning," he explained, "Here, Lindsay, you try this time. He doesn't calm down for me." Lindsay went to grab Graham out of his high chair, but the boy only started screaming. Sean immediately turned his gaze on Liam and Eleanor. "Liam!" he yelled over Graham's cries. "Your turn!"

To Eleanor's surprise, Liam didn't complain. Instead, he shrugged and went to pick up his nephew. As soon as Liam had Graham in his hands, the boy stopped throwing a fit.

"Great!" Sean clasped his hands together in what looked to be forced excitement. "You're the new babysitter. Congratulations!"

"I'm not coming over to watch Graham for you," Liam responded as he sat back down in his seat. Eleanor noticed Graham glancing all around as if looking for something. Hopefully it wasn't something to throw or break.

"I don't know," Lindsay spoke, "It would be nice to have you over, Liam. And Graham seems to like you-"

It happened as soon as Eleanor took her eyes off of Liam. She went to look over at Lindsay and then heard the crash. Eleanor quickly looked to her left to see Liam on the floor, chair seemingly gone, and Graham giggling madly.

"Are you okay?" Eleanor immediately fell to her knees beside him just as the rest of the table's occupants scrambled out of their own chairs.

Lindsay appeared at Liam's other side as he groaned, holding out Graham to her. "I think my entire body is broken."

"Don't be so melodramatic," Sean chastised, ignoring Liam to check Graham who was squirming in Lindsay's arms. "Wait – is this -"

"Oh my god." Both Liam and Eleanor glanced up to see Lindsay's eyes wide with shock. "He got Liam's wand. He-" she faltered and, with shaking hands, pried Liam's wand out of Graham's grip. "He can do magic? Can – can anyone do magic or is he-?"

"Only wizards and witches can do magic," Eleanor replied rationally, but even she was stunned.

"It's not possible." Lindsay shook her head, glancing down at her son and then over at Sean. "We're not – Sean and I aren't-"

"Liam is," Eleanor explained, "The gene is in the family."

Mrs. Pritchard slowly sat back down in her chair, an amazed chuckle escaping her lips. Eleanor wondered briefly if this is how it went when they learned about Liam. Were they disappointed? Stunned? Happy?

Suddenly, Sean reached out and grabbed Graham from Lindsay without a second of pause. "My son is a _wizard_? He's going to learn at your castle thing?"

Liam, who was trying to nurse his pounding head, managed to say "Hogwarts" through gritted teeth.

"Oh my god!" Sean began laughing – almost manically – and bounced around the room with Graham on his hip, causing his son to laugh along with him. "We need to celebrate! We need to throw a party. My _son _is magical. Lindsay – can you _believe_ it?" He didn't give her time to respond before grabbing her with his free hand and pulling her in for a kiss.

"What's going on?" Olivia and Conner made their way into the room. Eleanor realized then that Conner had been absent all morning; she watched him closely and could tell by just his silent demeanor that something was weighing on his mind.

"Olivia!" Sean broke away from Lindsay soundly. "Bake a cake! Graham is a wizard!"

She blinked at him. "What?"

"My son, my own son, is _magical_." Sean turned to Liam with a grin. "And you thought you were the only special Pritchard-"

Liam's eyebrows furrowed. "I never thought that," he tried to say, but Sean had already went back to laughing about how his son was a wizard.

"I want balloons and streamers and a cake and party toys!" Sean was rambling, grabbing onto Lindsay and dancing her around the room. "Olivia, can you conquer up some party things? Liam's being a spoilsport-"

"I am not," Liam muttered.

Eleanor moved to sit down next to Liam and leaned over to give him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "I know," she reminded him softly. In the midst of all the excitement, she knew Liam was beginning to feel neglected. He was the victim of Graham's magic and no one seemed to care.

But Eleanor knew he was also trying to ignore it and be happy for his brother and sister-in-law.

"But it's my day," Olivia said, her voice cracking. Eleanor noticed Conner glance at her worriedly.

"Graham is a _wizard!_" Sean reiterated.

"Sean-" Lindsay warned him, also noticing Conner and Olivia's weird behavior.

"But we have a wizard son!" Sean emphasized. "Hey, Graham!" He held out his son in front of him. "Do some magic for daddy."

Eleanor shook her head and responded without taking her eyes off of Conner and Olivia. "It was accidental, Sean. He doesn't know how to do actual spells yet."

Olivia was beginning to tear up and Conner tried whispering something in her ear, but she pulled away. "It was my day," she said, voice thick and barely audible over Sean's excitement."It was my day to tell you – tell you-" She struggled to take in a breath as her entire body started to shake with sobs. "I just wanted to make you all breakfast and then surprise you with the news in the middle of our meal and it was going to be my day. It was _my _day!" She became so hysterical and loud that Sean finally stopped to listen. "And it's ruined! You ruined it! Why did you try to ruin my day? Why did you -" She threw herself in Conner's arms. Her next words were muffled by Conner's shirt, but it was as if she screamed them. "I was going to tell everyone that I'm pregnant."

"_What_?" Liam's mother was the first to speak. Instead of sounding upset like Eleanor assumed she would, Mrs. Pritchard spoke in shock.

"You have to be kidding," Sean then said, handing Graham over to Lindsay. "You _just _graduated."

She clutched onto Conner tighter. "Everyone said to wait until after graduation so we did! And I was going to get to tell you all and we were going to celebrate-"

Conner sighed. "This is all she's been talking about for the past week. She planned out every single detail. You don't even know how long it took for her to finally decide on the menu."

"And it was _ruined_."

"Oh honey." As soon as Mrs. Pritchard appeared next to the couple, Olivia detached herself from Conner and moved into her mother-in-law's embrace. It was clear that Olivia was looking for any attention she was denied earlier; she buried her face in the older woman's shoulder and began to sob. "It's okay. We're all so happy for you."

Eleanor glanced back at Liam who was staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of him. When his eyes met hers, he didn't try to say anything. He only blinked and shrugged lightly.

"How about we sit down and congratulate Conner and Olivia and their pregnancy-" Mrs. Pritchard began and Olivia looked up, eyes shining and a small smile appearing on her face. "And then we can celebrate Graham afterward. Does that sound good to you, Olivia?"

Olivia sniffled and then nodded. "I'm sorry about all this. It must be hormones."

"It's all right, Liv," Conner reassured her, grabbing for her hand. "You put a lot of thought in this. I know how important it is to you."

Eleanor could have sworn she saw Sean roll his eyes. However, instead of responding, Sean sat back down in his chair quietly and poked Graham on the nose. "You're magic," he whispered with a grin. Lindsay chuckled as Mrs. Pritchard went with Conner and Olivia into the kitchen to finish breakfast.

"They're having a baby," Liam murmured low enough that only Eleanor could hear. "I can't imagine it." Wincing, he struggled to stand up. Eleanor held onto his arm as they moved him into another empty seat. With a groan, he slumped down and stared at the ceiling. "So much pain."

"Stop complaining, Liam. It's a celebration, remember?" Sean exclaimed.

"A celebration," Liam repeated and rolled his head over to look at Eleanor.

Eleanor raised an eyebrow at him. She didn't know how to respond herself; all of the sudden, Conner and Olivia were going to be parents. _Parents_.

And Graham Pritchard was a wizard?

She didn't even know where to begin.

Looking down at her lap, something on the floor caught her eye. She leaned down and closed her fingers around the tiny object, bringing it back up to the table. "I think I found your missing chair," she said softly, putting a doll-size chair in front of Liam.

It took a few seconds for realization to sink in and then he looked at her with an incredulous expression. "_Merlin_."

* * *

See, that didn't take long for another chapter!

I've been working on writing everyday and it's been going pretty well actually. Maybe I'll finish this story this year (fingers crossed!).

So, Graham Pritchard is a wizard and there is another Pritchard on the way. So many Pritchardssss! The next chapter will contain some brotherly bonding time and...decisions.

Thanks for reading!


	66. Sister Lunch

When Liam began his job search, he hadn't considered a muggle job. His mind was still back at Hogwarts with spells and jinxes and charms; he was a wizard who went to a wizarding school to learn magic for _something_, right? And since there was no magic in Athy, Liam began looking in the closest wizarding towns – Ballycastle, Cork, and Kenmare – and then Diagon Alley.

But he found nothing, nothing, nothing, and nothing.

Not one steady job that wanted to take a recent graduate with no experience.

So, after numerous rejections, Liam resorted to his last choice: to put a wizarding job on hold and take a job in a family friend's printing shop instead. Although it wasn't what he wanted (far from it, really), it was still only temporary and he only had to stay long enough to save up some money and gain experience. Then he would be back in the magical world.

Where he belonged.

Not standing behind a counter, waiting for a customer to walk through the shop's door.

Liam sighed, his gaze fixating on the bell above the door. It hadn't chimed for over an hour and he was getting more and more anxious for _anything_ to happen. He just couldn't keep standing in the same place everyday, fingers drumming impatiently against the cash register, mind wandering, eyelids drooping...

"Daydreaming on the job? I should tell your boss."

Liam jolted forward, his mind fuzzy and vision blurry. It took him a few seconds and then: "Eleanor? What-"

For a second, he thought it must have fell asleep. They had no plans today, so there was no reason for Eleanor to be standing in front of him. But there she was, hands resting against the edge of the counter and a wide smile on her face.

"I just thought I'd visit-" she began. He kept blinking, sure she was just a dream and he was going to wake up- "And when I went to your house, your mum said you were at work, so I decided to stop by. Is that okay? You're not-" She paused, glancing around quickly. "Busy, are you?"

He snorted at the thought of actually doing something productive and she chucked softly. "You caught me half-asleep. Of course I'm busy." Eleanor rolled her eyes as Liam continued, "But I guess I can make some time out of my crazy schedule to give you a proper hello."

It had only been a few days since they last saw each other, but Liam couldn't stop from drawing her in for a kiss. He forgot where they were – though it wasn't as if someone was going to walk in now – and leaned across the counter, deepening the embrace.

She immediately flushed and pulled away slightly to say, "this isn't really proper."

Liam didn't even bother to open his eyes. "I think it is," he mumbled against her lips, grinning when she hesitated instead of stepping back. Taking it as an invitation to resume their kiss, he leaned down again with a gentle pressure, wanting nothing more than to pull her against him and spend the rest of the day in her company instead of working at the register.

And yet-

"Liam," Eleanor finally breathed, "I have lunch plans."

He shook his head softly, kissing her lightly. "No plans."

Eleanor's hands moved up, palms resting against his chest to break away. "Actually, I have plans with Olivia and Lindsay."

That brought Liam back to reality quickly. "What?"

"Your sisters-in-law-" she clarified.

"I know, I know," he stumbled over his words, "I just don't – I – _why_?"

With another smile (perhaps to reassure him), she responded, "They contacted me about getting together. Something about a sister lunch or something-"

_Sister_ lunch?

"And it would have been rude to decline since they had thought of me and planned the entire outing so of course, I accepted. Actually-" Glancing up at the clock, she flashed him a quick apologetic look. "I'm running a bit late. I have to get going but I'll see you soon, okay?"

It happened so fast; one minute, she was standing in front of him with that smile and the next, she was saying goodbye and running out of the door.

Liam was, quite simply, dumbstruck.

Eleanor was invited to a _sister_ lunch.

A _sister_ lunch – like those related to each other through blood or marriage or -

No, it made no sense. Eleanor wasn't their sister. Lindsay and Olivia knew she wasn't part of the family (not yet, at least). What were they trying to do? Were they including her to make her feel welcome? Were they trying to tell him something? Was _Eleanor_ trying to say that she-

Liam groaned at the thought, shutting his eyes tight as he tried to process everything. He couldn't think like that. It would only lead to problems and things were going so well with him and Eleanor and he wasn't going to ruin that now.

"Wow!" The bell chimed for the first time that day, but Liam didn't bother to move. He knew exactly who it was. "I don't know how I'm going to get to the counter to see my little brother with all of these customers!"

"Conner, go away," he deadpanned. Liam didn't want to deal with this – not now. He was trying to figure out what was going on and Conner would only be the worst distraction.

"I'm _shocked_." Conner threw himself onto the counter and grabbed onto Liam's shirt, pulling impatiently like a little child looking for attention. "You want your most loyal and devoted customer to leave. That does not make for good business."

"Okay, okay, what do you want?"

"I don't appreciate the tone, Mr. - Pritchard, is it? I'd like to see your boss."

Liam eyed his brother, watching as a smirk tugged on Conner's lips. "Conner, if you're here to play games, I actually have the authority to ask you to leave because this is where I _work._ And trust me, I'll use that if I have the chance."

"No, no, I'm not playing games." Conner suddenly stood up straight and began digging in his pockets. "Olivia wrote it down because she knew I'd forget. She wants to get the invitations for the baby shower done as soon as possible – I mean, it's a couple months away but-"

"Wait, why does she need to get them printed here? She's a witch. A simple spell and-"

"I asked her the same thing but she said she wants to support you. Something about family being there for family. I don't know; she was being all sentimental and I just kind of sat there as she started to cry and all-"

"Well, I'm glad you decided to do Olivia a favor then – wait-" It was Conner and this would probably be a bad idea, but it was also his only idea. "Listen, Conner, I have a question-"

"Aha!" Conner slammed down a piece of parchment that was folded into an intricate square. "I don't know how you're going to figure out how to open this thing, but you're a brainiac so-"

"Conner," Liam interrupted loudly which was the only way Conner ever listened to anything. "I have a girl question in which you can use your awesome brotherly ways to give me advice!"

The older boy's face practically lit up. "Why didn't you say so? Tell me all about Eleanor. I'm completely fine with any and all explicit details."

_Definitely _a bad idea, Liam realized as he grimaced. "Uh, well-"

"You know what?" Conner didn't have hesitate to interrupt himself. This was why Liam never went to Conner for _anything_. "I'm starving. You should take your lunch and tell me everything while we eat!"

There was no use arguing, not when Liam needed advice, so he agreed with an exasperated nod and went to clock out. Since his scheduled lunch didn't allot for much time, he took Conner to the nearest cafe where the older brother proceeded to order every appetizer on the menu.

"Intimate details, go!" Conner gave Liam the scariest, crazed smile as soon as the waitress left to put in their order.

Liam hesitated. He had to tell Conner in a way that would lessen the teasing onslaught. "Eleanor came into the store right before you stopped by," he began slowly.

"Mmm-hmm." Conner nodded enthusiastically.

Liam ignored this. "And she was going out to lunch with Lindsay and Olivia – she said it was a sister lunch or something-"

That crazed grin got even wider and Liam winced, ready for a completely outlandish remark. "They're right," he said instead.

He must have heard wrong. "What?"

Conner shrugged as if an explanation wasn't even needed. "They called it a sister lunch, right? Well, Eleanor's practically a member of the family. I don't know why you just don't make it official already."

So, he wasn't imagining things. But how-

Why was she-

Did she even _know-_

"I don't understand-" Liam managed to say. It couldn't be about marriage. They were still rebuilding from the first time – they weren't ready – they just graduated – this had nothing to do with getting married – _nothing_ -

"Listen, Liam. We all know you two are going to get married, so Lindsay and Olivia invited her to this lunch because they're all going to be sisters someday. I really think Eleanor's just waiting for you to ask-"

"No," Liam cut in with a violent shake of the head. "She's not. Really, Conner, she doesn't want me to ask. Not so soon after what happened last time-" Of course, he wanted to ask, but not now. He needed to be sure it was the right time and give Eleanor plenty of space first.

"And that was last time. It won't happen the same way. Besides, Eleanor loves you. She'd be crazy not to say yes." Suddenly, Conner's eyes lit up as his gaze found the waitress bringing over their food. "Now, you mull over that while I treat myself to my appetizers."

"I don't know, Conner," Liam continued, but paused when he realized his brother's attention was elsewhere. For the next couple minutes, Liam anxiously stabbed his salad as he watched Conner chew through his plate of assorted finger foods. "We've kind of talked about it," he finally added, eyes locked on his barely touched food. "A couple months ago, her parents thought I was going to propose when I had no intentions to. It was a misunderstanding and horribly awkward and I thought her mum was going to kill me, but it was also kind of enlightening. Eleanor told me she wanted to get married someday, but that's the thing. She wants to be Mrs. Pritchard someday. Not now. That's what we agreed on. It's still too early and I don't want her to be scared away by this commitment. It's forever."

Conner snorted and promptly choked on a cheese stick. Liam waited it out; this was just like a normal family dinner at home. "But honestly," Conner finally continued after slamming his hands down on the table with a huge breath. "If you're planning on getting married anyway, just propose. A proposal isn't marriage; it's just a promise to get married which you've already kind of done. Make it official and then stay engaged for however long you want. Just give her that promise and a ring to show for it."

Why did he ever think Conner would give sound advice? An engagement was just as nerve-wracking and critically important as a marriage. Although Liam liked the idea of Eleanor wearing his ring, that little symbol was more than just a simple promise. A ring on the finger said a wedding was just around the corner.

"I know I've given her a promise. She's given me one too, but we don't need to make it official with rings. She doesn't care about a ring-" Liam tried to explain.

"She cares about you though. And your relationship-"

Liam sighed loudly and fell back in his chair. "Conner, I'm sure you remember what happened last time. You won't even stop teasing me about it even though it happened over a year ago-"

Conner grinned. "I will never forget."

"Then you remember how I really messed it up, so I want our actual engagement to be perfect. I don't want it to remind her-"

Liam stopped mid-sentence when he saw Conner roll his eyes dramatically. "It's not a science, dear brother."

Was _Conner_ really trying to give him advice about how to propose? "So, Conner," Liam exclaimed, sitting up and folding his hands in front of him. "How did you propose to Olivia then?" Liam never got the full story of their mucked-up proposal, engagement, and marriage in one night and he _knew _it wasn't as perfect as Conner always made it out to be.

Conner pointed his onion ring at Liam. "I see what you're trying to do here. Well, you asked, so I'll tell you. But I promise, it won't prove anything. I proposed while we were snogging. Now, before you go giving me that look – yes, that one, the one you are giving me right now – I'll have you know that she thought it was the most romantic proposal ever. I was kissing her, I asked, "will you marry me?" and she immediately pulled away to start gushing about how I was the most romantic, wonderful man in the world. Let me emphasize – in the _world_. She cried out of sheer happiness and we snogged for awhile after that, before we went and bought some rings and did all of the legal stuff in one of those business buildings. I'm not really sure about that whole part but Olivia knew what she was doing. She even changed the color of her dress while I picked her some flowers for her bouquet, so it felt more real, you know. I wanted to wear a tie, but she thought I looked cute the way I was.

But anyway, we got officially married by some high authority wizard guy and then we went back to the Leaky Cauldron and tried to get a room. And you'll remember this part because you and mum were there and started yelling at us. Like it was our fault that we fell madly in love. Sometimes you can't help it, Liam. I thought mum was going to make us go back to Athy that night, but we still got our wedding night-"

Liam held up his hand in just enough time. "Okay, okay, you've made your point. Your proposal was great and your two hour engagement was wonderful and everything went perfectly but it's not that simple with Eleanor."

With a laugh, Conner asked, "Are you sure? I bet you she's just waiting for you to ask."

His heart was being to race at the thought of actually, sincerely asking Eleanor to marry him. He couldn't though. It wasn't possible. "I'm not going to "just ask" her," Liam replied, hoping it would convince himself if he said it out loud.

"Actually, you're right. You're not going to "just ask." You're Liam Pritchard. You're going to come up with this long-drawn out, perfect plan and then ask her, right?"

Liam bit down on his tongue; the 'no' was already there, ready as an answer to any and all of Conner's ridiculous questions. But what if he didn't want to say no?

What if the answer was yes?

What if _her _answer would be yes?

An actual _yes. _

With a shuddering sigh, Liam slouched further down in his seat. His hands were shaking and his stomach was doing flips. He closed his eyes at the overwhelming feeling, letting out a low groan. "Merlin, I can't take another no."

Conner's response was muffled by a mouthful of food and an extremely evident grin. "Good thing you don't have to worry about that."

* * *

AHA! I have finally finished this chapter after massive amounts of editing.

So, I bet it's evident what will happen in the next chapter, right? Maybe?

Thanks for reading as always!


	67. Birthday Surprises

Eleanor knew something was wrong the second she walked through the Pritchards' front door. She had spent more than enough time at the house to know there was never a quiet moment; someone was always running around, shouting from one room to the other, trying to start an argument (which always worked and led to daily yelling matches and chaos). But on a late afternoon in July, it was silent.

Suspiciously silent.

"Hello?" she called out, expecting Liam to pop around the corner.

Instead, she was greeted by a long string of expletives. "Eleanor, you're early!"

"Conner?" Eleanor questioned, glancing around before taking a step into the next room. Where was everyone?

"Bloody hell-"

"Conner, is that you?"

"No, no, it's – bloody _hell_-"

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. There was no mistaking it; it was obviously Conner. Why would he lie? Was he trying to hide from her? "Are you okay?" she asked, quickening her pace as she followed the sound of frantic scuffling. He didn't respond at all and Eleanor hesitated, wondering if she should just leave and return at a later time.

But instead, she peered around the corner into the kitchen and caught sight of the brother. "Um, am I interrupting something?"

Eleanor wasn't sure what she was seeing. She paused to process the situation for a few seconds, but she could find no explanation for Conner sitting on the kitchen counter, hands and feet pulled up as if he was imitating a perched bird. In addition, he was grinning crazily at her, eyes wide and unblinking.

"Uh-" Eleanor closed her mouth as she struggled to say something - _anything_. "_This is ridiculous, this is utterly ridiculous and suspicious and strange," _her brain repeated on a loop wasn't helping that Conner wasn't answering her question, so an awkward silence pressed down on them as they both stared at each other.

"Afternoon, Miss Bennett," Conner finally said, his words forced as if he had been rehearsing them.

Eleanor blinked. "Um, Conner, are you okay?" she repeated her earlier question.

"I'm great," he replied, a bit too quickly. "How are you on this lovely day?"

"I'm...good." She watched as he nodded in response, his right eye twitching. "Is Liam around? He asked me to come over-"

"You're early," Conner repeated what he shouted before.

"Fifteen minutes, but I thought-"

"You're not supposed to be early." He fidgeted, wrapping his arms around his legs.

Something was definitely wrong. "Conner, you're not okay-" Eleanor tried to say, but she was distracted how his grin only got crazier.

"I am completely fine. I am just wondering why you are here so early. You're usually right on time and people rely on that, you know. People like Liam or..." he faltered, "other people..."

_Oh_.

"You're covering for him."

It was all so _clear_.

Conner blinked, his mouth opening slightly before he finally settled on a shaky "...no."

"Yes, you are," Eleanor concluded. Conner was rehearsing what Liam told him to say. But why would Liam enlist the help of Conner? Of all the people he could have asked, why did he trust Conner with something like-

Something like- "Wait, what _is_ he planning? Where is he?"

"No questions!" Conner's voice rose as he pushed himself off the counter. "I can't answer any questions because he specifically told me not to tell you anything and I'm ruining everything by just talking to you right now but you ruined everything first by showing up before I could rehearse my lines and did Liam really think I could pull this off? I mean, he decides that he wants to surprise you this year and plan this elaborate thing for your birthday weeks even though your birthday isn't for weeks just so you wouldn't know it was coming and then brings _me _into this? He shouldn't trust me-"

"It's fine, Conner," Eleanor interrupted his rambling. "I won't tell him you said anything."

He shook his head. "He was just so worried you would hate the surprise, so he trusted me to reassure you-"

"He shouldn't have been worried." Conner finally paused and Eleanor took the moment of silence to continue. "I don't mind surprises when they come from him. It's okay. I promise, whatever he has planned, it's going to be okay."

For reasons that Eleanor couldn't explain, this seemed to snap Conner out of his breakdown and completely change his demeanor. "You're right, Eleanor. Liam doesn't even deserve my brilliant help-"

"I didn't say that-"

Conner grabbed Eleanor's hand, pulling her toward the patio door. "He's in the back. He has a surprise for you. There." He must have thought that was good enough, throwing his hands up in the air and disappearing up the staircase without another word. Eleanor was left in the kitchen by herself, absolutely bewildered by the whole thing. She thought that she was finally beginning to understand Conner but she was obviously very wrong. Maybe Liam would be able to make sense of it for her.

"Liam?"

He wasn't by the house, but she didn't look that long because something else caught her eye. It was a strange object in the distance – a large oval that shone blindingly bright against the dark green of the woods. Eleanor squinted, but couldn't make sense of it. It had never been there before. Curiosity got the best of her and she slowly began to make her way over.

It had to be a part of the "birthday surprise" Conner accidentally told her about because, if it was something completely separate, Conner would have ranted madly about it. He was still very much enthusiastic about magic, even after knowing about (and living with) it for years. Olivia told her and Lindsay all about his excitement when they went out to lunch a couple weeks ago. He always wanted to see spells and enchantments and inquired whether or not their baby would be magical, even going so far as to creating family trees and trying to trace the magic gene through their families. But Olivia wasn't complaining; she actually found it quite cute.

It was sort of strange. Before Olivia married Conner, Eleanor's only interaction with her was through Liam, so she always got a skewed interpretation. But now, by spending time with Lindsay and Olivia, they had actually become friends. In fact, she had become friends with both of them – the "Pritchard sisters" as they were sometimes called. She wasn't close to many people, so it was inevitable that others would assume she was also part of that group. Olivia thought this was particularly amusing. Eleanor didn't mind, but she was always quick to correct their mistake. After all, her and Liam weren't even close to marriage and she didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

Lost in her thoughts, Eleanor almost forgot about the curious object in front of her. She was in clear view of it when she finally remembered where she was going.

It was a self-contained weather dome. A _snowing _weather dome.

The highly advanced spell created a space that was roughly the size of a Quidditch field, encasing the ground and part of the sky to create its own snow in the middle of summer. Through the heavy snowfall, Eleanor could see Liam standing on a frozen pond.

He wasn't aware of her presence yet. She debated knocking to get his attention, but it was only a fleeting thought before she remembered about atmospheric charms. Liam most likely put a charm on the dome, only allowing certain people access (just in case his brothers tried to get in). With a deep breath, Eleanor took a step forward and found she could walk right through.

She wrapped her arms around herself, chilled by the sudden blast of cold and spoke, "Liam?"

"You're early," he said before he even turned around. He was holding a coat that looked suspiciously like her own winter jacket and didn't hesitate before crossing over to her to drape over her shoulders. She accepted the warmth gratefully. "Did my brother send you out here?"

She wanted to laugh and tell him all about Conner's strange behavior, but it was supposed to be a surprise and she could see the underlying anticipation in Liam's expression. She didn't want to ruin the moment, so Eleanor just nodded.

He smiled brightly at her. "Good afternoon, Miss Bennett," he formally greeted her.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Pritchard." She glanced around before meeting his gaze again. "This is some highly advanced magic."

Liam laughed, taking her hand and leading her around the edge of the pond. "You sound surprised. Have some faith in my abilities, please."

There was a bench on the far side of the pond with ice skates and other accessories on it. "Ice skating in July?" Eleanor pulled Liam toward her and tried her best to feign surprise. "Whatever did I do to deserve this?"

Liam blinked twice and then groaned. "He told you, didn't he? Merlin, why do I trust him with anything?"

"Hey, hey," Eleanor tried to console him, "Don't worry about it. You still did all of this and it's amazing. I love it. Thank you so much."

Liam sighed, his shoulders dropping. "You're welcome," he said flatly, but managed a smile as he said, "happy early birthday, Eleanor."

She rolled her eyes at his moodiness and leaned up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you. I mean it." He still frowned, so Eleanor muttered an amused "fine" before pulling him down for a kiss.

"Here-" Liam broke away first with that familiar grin and stepped away to pick up a hat, scarf and gloves. _Her _hat, scarf and gloves...from her house.

"Liam, how did you get all of my winter clothing?"

He shrugged, pulling the hat down over her curls. "Might've stopped by your house earlier. Ran into your dad-"

Eleanor felt kind of faint. "You...went to my house with just my father there...?" Eleanor knew her father wasn't that horrible, especially about Liam, but _why _would Liam voluntarily go to her house when he knew she wouldn't be there? Even if it was for this surprise, it was still unfathomable to her.

"It wasn't that bad," Liam explained, "It's really your mother I'm afraid of and your dad is actually pretty – well – understanding-"

Eleanor's eyebrows rose.

"But anyway-" He wound her scarf around her neck and gestured her to sit on the bench before taking the seat next to her to put on his own skates.

Eleanor tied her skates with numerous knots to ensure her safety and then turned to Liam. "You should surprise me more often," Eleanor told him with a smile.

He chuckled, helping her to her feet. "Now, I warn you that even though I had this completely brilliant idea, I'm not the best skater-"

"And yet, you decided ice skating would be a good activity-"

They made their way onto the pond, both hanging onto each other. "Winter is your favorite season and I know you love the snow, so I'm willing to fall down and injure myself for your sake."

Eleanor couldn't help but laugh and pulled out of his grasp, twirling a couple times for show. "If you're so willing to injure yourself, then why don't you skate by yourself?" He was standing there, slightly unstable on his skates, maybe even trembling from the cold. Eleanor tilted her head, giving him her best puppy dog look. "Liam." She watched as he tried to glide forward, but it was wobbly. "Okay, okay." She took pity on him, skating forward and grabbing his hands. "You're lucky I like you so much."  
He smiled at her as she laced their fingers. It was slow at first and they took the time to chat lightly about their families.

"Conner and Olivia have been picking baby names," Liam said, "And it's just been baby central lately. I don't really mind because I can get out of it most of the time, but I think it's making Conner a bit crazier than usual."

"That explains so much."

"And Sean and Lindsay have come by a couple times. Graham keeps using accidental magic now and Sean thinks it's the greatest thing even when Graham sets fire to the curtains. I've had to put out about five fires now."

"Well, they have their hands full." Eleanor twirled under Liam's arm and he tripped, catching himself just in time. "I'm sorry." She grinned at him and he gave her an exasperated look. "Do you want to take a break?" Although she found his clumsiness cute, she knew it was causing him anxiety. He nodded immediately, his breath coming out in a sharp gasp. It was definitely causing him grief – maybe even more extreme than she thought.

Grabbing onto his hands, she led him back over to the bench and sat down on the edge. "How about we take a walk instead?" Liam stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets and she took that as a yes, leaning down to untie her skates.

"Here, let me help you." Without glancing up, she felt him kneel down in front of her and then his fingers were fumbling with the laces on the other skate.

"You're shivering too much to help," she joked, finally untying the first skate. He didn't say anything, so she moved to help him. "I can get it. I think you need to get warmed up or something because you're-" She turned her gaze upward. He was kneeling in front of her and there was a small, black box in his hand. A small, black box opened to show a diamond ring.

A diamond _ring_.

"-Proposing," she finished, her eyes wide and heart beating fast. She locked eyes with him and realized that all of the anticipation and anxiety and clumsiness was the result of worrying about this exact moment. "This isn't a birthday surprise," she managed to say.

Liam – poor, nervous, wide-eyed Liam – let out a slow, shaky breath before saying, "no."

"It never was."

"Correct."

Liam hadn't said anything yet and Eleanor didn't know what to do or what to think or how to react, so she settled with an "okay." Her gaze flickered back down to the ring; it was an antique, silver and curved toward the diamond in the center. How did Liam even-

"I didn't go to your house just to get your things. I went to talk to your father about marrying you." Her father _knew _and he hadn't even said a word. "But – um, I – I memorized a couple different speeches; they were all about how I was stupid about the last proposal and how I don't deserve you and you shouldn't even consider this one, but that's not what I want you to remember. I don't want this to be marred by mistakes in the past. And I know we're young and how the odds are probably against us, but I like it that way because haven't they always? We've been best friends since our first year at Hogwarts and we've stayed friends since then. Most people drift away but we've always been together – it's always been Liam and Eleanor because you are my best friend, you are amazing, smart, tá tú go h-álainn, you are...so much more than what I can explain because there's not enough words to describe how I feel about you. And sometimes I feel like I don't show it enough because we've had this relationship for so long. It's comfortable, it's us and we don't really deal well with change, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I – I want to marry you because I can't think of anything I want more to be your husband, but I don't want anything if you don't want it in return so I'm putting this decision in your hands right now. I'm just the one with the question. You can have the answer. You can choose whatever you want, Eleanor Susan Bennett, so, here's the question: will you marry me?"

She tried to take a calming breath but only managed a shuddering one instead. How was she supposed to think? Her head was spinning and everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.

"You're crying." Liam scrambled to lean up, placing his hands on her face to wipe away the tears. The hope Eleanor saw earlier in his eyes was beginning to dim.

"I'm not crying because I'm going to say no," Eleanor assured him, her voice thick. "I didn't even realize-"

Liam's expression caused her to falter. He was still bracing himself for rejection; his posture was almost defensive even when he was comforting her.

"Liam," she said softly, wrapping her fingers around his wrists lightly. He let her bring his arms down, taking both of his hands with a small smile. "No is the last thing on my mind," she admitted. "You're right. I definitely hate change, but change with you – I can handle that." She laughed at the way his eyes lit up – he knew what her answer was. "I'm already planning on spending the rest of my life with you, so, there's no other answer but _yes_."

"Okay," he repeated her earlier sentiment before smiling like a fool and kissing her deeply. It didn't last long; he was still smiling and she was trying her best not to laugh. "This is an engagement ring that's been in my mum's family for a couple generations. I know it's old and probably not-"

"I love it," Eleanor interrupted as Liam fumbled with getting it out of the box. He was still trembling – though this time Eleanor knew it wasn't because of anxiety and fear. "It's perfect."

Liam finally got a grasp on the tiny ring and, with little resistance, slid it onto Eleanor's finger. Her other hand immediately went to touch the ring, fingers tracing the diamond and band a few times. It was real. An actual diamond ring on her ring finger.

An _engagement _ring.

She couldn't help her heart thumping dangerously against her chest every time she thought of it. For once, she didn't have to give something much thought before she had her answer. Every other decision in her life was an exhaustive list of pros and cons. It took her days, weeks, sometimes even months to come to a conclusion, but there were no cons to this.

She wanted to marry the boy in front of her.

She wanted to marry her best friend.

She wanted to marry Liam Pritchard.

Her answer was always going to be yes.

* * *

Well, hello. I know it's been awhile, but this chapter was pretty important, so I kept editing and editing and editing and I probably can still go back and edit for months more, but that may take forever.

So, here you go, loyal readers. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this little change of events.

Also, on my tumblr, I posted a little short story featuring Sean if you want to read it. (Just a drabble so it's not important to the story but it's quite interesting.) Thank you again!


	68. Brittas Bay

In the middle of October, Liam's family decided that it was time to start planning what they liked to call "The Wedding – with a capital T." It had only been two months since the proposal and, although Liam tried to explain that he and Eleanor were taking it slow and had plenty of time to plan, everyone – especially Olivia – decided it was a special project that needed to begin _now_.

At first, Eleanor seemed okay with it.

She stayed silent as Olivia stood in front of her, throwing out ideas and brandishing samples at lightning speed. She nodded mutely when Olivia talked about potential venues and dresses and tuxes and flowers and table settings and menus.

But then Olivia mentioned the bridal party. It started innocently enough – Olivia asking how many people Eleanor wanted to have in the party, then who Liam wanted as groomsmen, and finally his best man – but then she exclaimed how honored she would be to be Eleanor's maid-of-honor (matron-of-honor, Liam corrected).

"No."

She never spoke up before. Olivia's mouth snapped shut, her eyes widening in shock. Liam stood up slowly, watching to see if he had to intervene.

"I-" Eleanor struggled to continue and Liam realized her eyes were glossy. "I'm sorry." She tore her gaze away, brushing her hair behind her ear numerous times before struggling to her feet and disappearing out of the front door.

"Did I say something-" Olivia began to ask in a tearful voice.

Liam shook his head. "I'm sure it wasn't you, Olivia. Probably just too much at one time but she's told me she's grateful for your help." He gave her a smile, hoping it would calm her. Finally, Olivia sniffed and nodded, responding with a shaky smile of her own. "Thank you," Liam said before he hurried after Eleanor.

He found her by the road, leaning against the tree by the driveway. It didn't look like she was going to run away again, so Liam slowed, cautiously making his way over to her. When he was a few meters away, Eleanor glanced up at him but didn't try to explain herself. Instead, she bit down on her bottom lip and tilted her head back, closing her eyes.

Liam took in a deep breath and then reached for her hand. "Come here." Eleanor didn't resist; with only a light tug, she came to him, gaze hesitant and weary. He wanted to ask if she was okay, but it wasn't the time or place. First, they needed to get far, far away.

And Liam knew exactly where that was.

Although it was mid-October, the weather was still quite warm for a day on the beach. Liam apparated them to the closest bay since it was the only beach he could remember visiting as a child. Eleanor blinked, glancing around in surprise for a long moment.

Liam knew it wasn't a special place for her, but he was hoping it could be.

"We're in Wicklow," he explained softly. "About sixty kilometers away from my house. This is Brittas Bay Beach."

Eleanor pulled her hand out of his grasp and took a few steps toward the water. It was a cloudy day; the gray sky expanded as far as they could see. A slight breeze disrupted the otherwise calm water, causing light waves to lap against the shore. It also rustled the trees behind them and stirred the loose sand around their feet. The feel, the sound, the taste of the salt water – Liam breathed in deeply as a sense of calm came over him.

"It's beautiful," he heard Eleanor exclaim. She turned, a genuine smile on her face. "Come on then." Balancing on each foot, Eleanor pulled off her shoes and socks and ran toward the water. Liam laughed in relief, discarding his own footwear in the sand before following her in.

"If you try splashing me, Liam Pritchard, I swear-"

"Swear what?" Liam grinned as he bent down, dipping his hands in the water.

"I swear that I will – don't you _dare_-" Eleanor actually yelped as he moved his hands back. "_Liam_!"

Liam stood back up before responding, "Why don't you trust me?"

Eleanor chuckled incredulously. "Because, like it or not, you are a Pritchard and Pritchards like to have a laugh at other people's expense and you are just waiting-" He raised an eyebrow at her and she backed up. "I can tell that you're thinking about it right now and _what are you doing_?" She flinched as he moved toward her, but then Liam caught the amusement in her eyes.

He couldn't help but grin again. "Nothing." He held his hands up in front of him as proof.

"You are up to something."

"I am not." He shrugged. "I am just enjoying the abnormally nice October weather in the water because the chances of this ever happening again is very unlikely-"

"Liam."

He actually had to commend her distrust in him – she had learned enough from his brothers to realize that, yes, he would love to catch her offguard and begin a water fight. But, in return, he knew her enough that teasing was a better solution for the both of them.

She got to smile and he got to see that smile.

"Okay, let's make a deal then." This time, it was her that raised an eyebrow in his direction. He waded back over to her and surprisingly, she didn't try to run but kept his gaze. "I am, however, going to challenge you to a sandcastle building contest, if you are up to it, that is."

"I might just be."

They found a secluded place right where the water met the perfect packing sand. Eleanor immediately sat down and began pushing sand toward her in silence, but when Liam plopped down across from her, he was quick to initiate a conversation.

"I haven't been here since Sean was still in school," he said, digging his hands into wet sand. "I'm surprised I even remembered it."

Eleanor glanced up at him with a fleeting smile. "Thanks for bringing me here."

Liam hesitated. "No problem. I – uh – thought you needed to get away."

He watched her hands stall as she built the beginning of her castle. "You're right."

"I know you don't make to make a big deal about it-" She bit down on her lip and Liam paused before adding, "but are you okay?"

Eleanor let out a slow breath and then said, "I really do mean it when I say I'm thankful for bringing me here. It's not the wedding planning – I'm fine with it even if it's a bit early -"

"I might have mentioned that a couple times, but you know how my family is."

"And that's why I'm okay with it. And I know there's that small nagging doubt in the back of your mind. You've tried to ignore it because you know by now that I'm not going anywhere, but that doubt about my feelings about this marriage is still there. Liam, I said yes for a reason. I want to be engaged to you. I want to marry you someday soon. Wedding plans are inevitable."

"I believe you," Liam told her sincerely.

She smiled at him gratefully. "But you are still worried."

"Of course I am. You said no to Olivia. No one says no to Olivia." His brow furrowed and then he added, "Especially a pregnant Olivia. Merlin, you're lucky you're alive."

"She's probably going to kill me when I get back," Eleanor mused. "But it's not – I'm okay with her trying to help. Although she is trying to get me to pick a wedding date already and that's a bit premature-"

Wait a second- "She didn't ask me about a wedding date-"

"But then she asked about the bridal party and I can't make that decision. I can't – not about my bridal party-"

Liam knew that she didn't have many choices for bridesmaids. Eleanor hadn't been in touch with Suzanne for the past year and she didn't have any other female friends. There was Lindsay and Olivia but, even though Eleanor knew Olivia before she married into the Pritchard family, it still didn't count as Eleanor's choice. They were Liam's family. Maybe that's why she was so upset; she wanted to have a matron of honor who was, first and foremost, a friend.

"Send an owl to Suzanne," he suggested, "Maybe-"

"It's not that." Eleanor nervously started digging holes into her sand structure. "I know who I want as my maid-of-honor-"

Thank Merlin. "That's great!"

"My sister."

The smile dropped from Liam's face. For a second, he thought that Eleanor had figured it out and everything would be okay. No wonder she was so torn up about it. No wonder she had the reaction she did and no wonder she wanted to get away.

And here he was, making it worse.

"I never wanted to get married but she still promised to be my maid-of-honor if I ever changed my mind. We used to talk about our future weddings and husbands and children from the time I was four years old. She was the one who wanted everything – the huge wedding and loads of children. She promised me that I would have a huge part in all of that. I'd be right there at her side for her wedding – it would have been to Sirius, I know it – and an aunt to her children who were not going to be named after Jane Austen characters like Mum. But I always liked that idea for my potential children since I was the one who really liked Jane Austen's works. And she promised me that I'd find my future Henry or Edward and she was right but now she's not here." Eleanor's hands shook violently, knocking over the top of her castle. "I'm fine, really, but it just reminded me she's not here and I don't have a maid-of-honor."

Liam didn't know what to say. He could usually find the words to talk to her, but not now. He couldn't say anything to make her feel better. She was right.

"Also, it doesn't help that I'm marrying my best friend so he can't be my – what would it be? - a best man for the bride?"

His lips twitched upward in amusement. "Eleanor-"

"You know, this reminds me of the day we met." She gestured to the sandcastles. "Except we're making castles out of sand and not exploding cards. I might prefer it this way; much more safe." They both chuckled at the memory. "Do you ever think about what would have happened if you didn't get caught on the way to Hogsmeade and I wasn't in the common room that day?"

It never really occurred to Liam. "I'm sure we would have met sometime soon after that."

"But it wouldn't have been the same. I'm so glad it was that day and I'm so glad you decided to talk to me. Ivy insisted I'd find someone like you to marry, but being friends with you first and foremost, that's so much better."

Her words made him smile, but it wasn't like the smile he wore when she said she loved him. This felt like warmth and comfort - the baseline of their whole relationship.

Liam struggled to say something just as clever and moving, but instead, he only found a question. "Do you want me to knock over your sandcastle?"  
She cocked her head at him. "What?"

"You know, just to make sure that it's exactly like the day we met. I can also blow it up if you want, but-"

Eleanor, with her tired eyes and frazzled expression, burst into laughter. "You'd just apologize a million times anyway," she managed to say. "Can you believe we've been friends for _eight _years?"

It felt like forever for Liam. How did he survive without her for eleven years? Especially eleven years with his brothers. "It'll be a decade in just two years," he muttered to himself, reveling in the amount of time that had passed.

A silence came upon them and Eleanor went back to her sandcastle. Of course it was better than his. He should have never challenged her to anything.

Their ten year anniversary...a sudden idea occurred to him.

"Hey, Eleanor?"

She glanced up for a split second. "Mmm?"

"Do I have a say in the wedding date or has Olivia taken that over yet?"

* * *

Unlike my other chapters, this just came out of nowhere. No planning, no struggling, just an idea I had one day at work and acted upon. Maybe this is the start of quicker updates. Let's hope so!

So, there's a lot of little things that I love in this chapter. Liam and Eleanor's friendship, talk to the wedding, talk of children (!), Olivia's pregnancy (baby in next chapter)...much more to come!

Thanks for reading and reviewing! You all keep me writing.


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